Lodging sales up 7.4% over last summer
Lodging and restaurant sales surpassed expectations this year, according to state data.
The Bangor Daily News reports that lodging sales from June to August increased 7.4% over last year and restaurant sales saw a similar jump at 5.3% in the same comparison. In August, lodging sales were $157 million, up 7.5 percent from the same month last year, while August restaurant sales equaled nearly $270 million, representing a 6.1-percent year-over-year increase, according to the BDN.
Greg Dugal, executive director of the Maine Innkeepers Association, told the newspaper that August's lodging numbers exceeded the 4% year-over-year increase in lodging sales that was expected for the month.
In total, the state's tourism industry generates around $430 million a year, the BDN reported. And this year, Curtis Picard, executive director of the Maine Merchants Association, said that Canadian visitors hit the state in big numbers.
In May, James Gerety, general manager of the Bangor Mall, told Mainebiz that Canadian traffic to the shopping center was on the rise and observers expected increases in tourist spending with changes to Canadian tax law allowing visitors to take home more merchandise duty-free.
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