Mills vows to solve Maine's tourism, hospitality workforce shortage

Janet Mills at a podium speaking at a conference

Courtesy / Maine Office of Tourism Gov. Janet Mills speaks at Thursday's conference in Portland.

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In a pep talk to Maine's tourism and hospitality businesses, Gov. Janet Mills vowed to solve the industry's workforce woes and use a high-level summer event to promote the state on the national stage.

"The workforce shortage is a problem all across our state," Mills told attendees Thursday at the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Portland. "It is something that Maine has long struggled with, and that the pandemic — between a lack of visas and early retirements — has made worse.

"While this is a problem I inherited, it is not one that I will leave to our children and grandchildren to solve."

Mills also said she welcomed plans by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release an additional 35,000 H-2B temporary work visas nationally for the second half of the 2022 fiscal year.

While the additional visas offer a short-term solution, she wants to focus on the labor shortage's root causes and creating an environment where people can succeed with affordable places to live, quality child care and good education.

"You all will do the rest: with good jobs, good wages and rewarding work," she told attendees. "That’s how we come together to solve these problems. You have my word that we will continue to work with you to strength the tourism and hospitality industry in the state of Maine because you are at the core of who we are."

National spotlight

Looking ahead to summer, Mills said the season promises to be even more successful for the state's tourism and hospitality industry, now that the Canadian border has finally reopened.

She also said she looks forward to hosting the National Governor's Association summer meeting this July in Portland.

Pledging to "take every chance I get to tell my fellow governors about the many wonders of Maine," Mills added that "this summer will be our chance to prove that we are in fact the best state in the nation."

Mills, a Democrat, is running for reelection this November against Republican Paul R. LePage, who served as Maine's governor from 2011 to 2018.

This week's tourism conference in Portland also featured new research from the Maine Office of Tourism showing that Maine experienced a 29% jump in tourism-elated visitation in 2021 over 2020, with an estimate 15.6 million visitors to Maine in 2021.

Direct tourism expenditures in 2021 totaled over $7.8 billion, with an overall economic impact of more than $14 million and 143,100 jobs supported by tourism.

Mills also presented 2022 Maine Tourism Awards to four recipients for their contributions to the industry: the Maine Tourism Association (Governor's Award for Tourism Excellence); Maine Performing Arts Leadership (Innovation & Creativity Award); the Maine Oyster Trail (Leadership & Growth Award); and MXH Marketing (Marketing & Promotion Award).

"This year's award recipients exemplify the resilience of our industry," said Steve Lyons, director of the Maine Office of Tourism. "This year's awards included recognition of group efforts and collaborations, as well as honoring individual excellence in different categories."

The Maine Office of Tourism also highlighted its work with a new agency, Miles Partnership, to shift marketing toward a focus on Maine places and iconic experiences.