Tourism businesses predict 2023 will have similar demands, challenges as 2022

File photo / Laurie Schreiber Crowds swarmed downtown Bar Harbor last September. But staffing shortages statewide plagued the industry, a situation expected to persist this year.

Write a Comment

By Laurie Schreiber

While some tourism businesses are optimistic that the 2023 season will be better than 2022, just over half think visitor numbers, revenue and the labor crunch be about the same.

The Maine Tourism Association recently polled its members about how 2023 is shaping up for Maine’s tourism businesses.

According to CEO Tony Cameron, 52% of members responding to the survey said they think 2023 business will be same as last year.

Some 30% said business would be better than last year; 15% think it will be worse.

Staffing challenges were predicted to be the same as last year, according to 59% of respondents, while 16% say it will be the worse. Only 9% said it could be easier to hire staff than it was in 2022.

“2022 was a good year for most tourism businesses and I am pleased to see that they are predicting similar numbers for this year,” said Cameron. “It is unfortunate that rising costs and staffing shortages continue to be major impediments to greater success. The good news is that our members believe, and all evidence confirms, that the demand is there from visitors.”

For the most part, Maine’s hospitality industry had a very good 2022, but restaurants are struggling to rebound from the pandemic a bit more than hotels, Matt Lewis, president and CEO of HospitalityMaine, told Mainebiz earlier this month.

The numbers aren’t in yet, but anecdotally, Lewis said, most members of the state’s nonprofit restaurant and hotel trade group “were quite pleased with the year.”

Maine Tourism Association members were also asked what they are most concerned about for the upcoming year. Respondents could choose more than one answer.

Topping the list at 65% was the cost of doing business. Next was staffing shortages at 45%, then economic recession at 44%.

Decline in demand for travel earned 23% of votes and weather concerns had 12% of the votes.

The Maine Tourism Association is the state’s largest advocate for tourism-related businesses. Incorporated in 1922, MTA members include lodging, restaurants, camps, campgrounds, retail, outdoor recreation, guides, tour operators, amusements, transportation and cultural and historical attractions. MTA also operates seven state visitor information centers from Kittery to Calais, and annually produces the state’s official travel planner, “Maine Invites You.”