Maine Office of Tourism awards $46K to tourism-marketing projects across the state
Photo / Courtesy of the Maine Office of Tourism
Steve Lyons, director of Maine Office of Tourism, announced $46,000 in Tourism Enterprise Grants awarded to tourism-marketing projects across the state.
Maine Office of Tourism has awarded more than $46,000 in the latest cycle of Tourism Enterprise Grants, which are designed to fund smaller or focused tourism-marketing projects of nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is to promote and expand tourism in Maine.
Hannah Collins, grant manager of Maine Office of Tourism, said in a news release the awards were based on the recipients’ potential “to increase tourism in Maine beyond the immediate region, project sustainability and the organization’s ability to execute successfully.”
Here are the grant awards, with descriptions of the tourism marketing efforts they will support:
- Visit Freeport, $8,250 to promote the Maine Pumpkin Trail, joining forces with Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and the trail's founding members, Maine Maritime Museum and Damariscotta Pumpkinfest & Regatta. The partners plan to leverage each other's assets to increase new visitors, visitor spending and encourage longer stays.
- The Bates Dance Festival, $10,000 to support efforts to build cultural tourism in Lewiston/Auburn.
- William A. Farnsworth Library and Art Museum, $9,250 in support of efforts to brand Rockland as a major art destination for travelers to Maine, with unique activities and sites that build the "Rockland - Art Capital of Maine" brand.
- Wesserunsett Arts Council, $3,877 to support the Somerset County Rural Cultural Plan. The 2019 Cheese, Brews and Bread event will expand from an afternoon of sampling cheese at to a full day of local food experiences, demonstrations and workshops that will culminate in a festival in downtown Skowhegan.
- Abbe Museum, $10,000 to expand the reach of the Abbe Museum Indian Market in Bar Harbor — both before and after the May event — contributing to the wider tourism goals of the region. Projects include a podcast and online press room.
- Northern Forest Center, $2,450. In partnership with the Moosehead Event Marketing Committee, the center will coordinate and support the cooperative marketing of 10 events that attract visitors and boost visitor spending to the Moosehead Lake region.
- Main Street Bucksport, $2,500 to promote the fourth annual International Maritime Film Festival, scheduled for Sept. 27-29. The goal of the project is to increase the festival audience and financial stability.
"The Office of Tourism is focused on elevating Maine's brand and marketing the state as a destination, but we are also charged with supporting the growth of the industry in our state,” said Steve Lyons, director of Maine Office of Tourism. “By boosting the efforts of our industry partners on the ground through these grants, we are strengthening the assets of Maine's tourism industry overall.”
The Spring 2019 Tourism Enterprise Grant cycle will open in April. Online application forms will be posted at www.MOTpartners.com at that time, with grant requests due by mid-May. For more information regarding MOT's marketing grants program, contact Hannah.Collins@Maine.gov
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