Maine saw a strong tourist season last year compared with 2009, industry officials announced yesterday at the Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
About 23.2 million people visited Maine last summer, with a 14% increase in overnight visitors and a 9% increase in day visitors over 2009, according to the Bangor Daily News. Visitors from New York and Massachusetts made up 40% of the overnight tourist population, followed by Canadians at 19%. Tourism officials also announced three new initiatives for the 2011 season, including MainePerforms!, a campaign that will highlight 25 performing arts organizations and festivals in the state to draw in tourists. Another campaign will feature videos with Maine-based designers, including Angela Adams, Thos. Moser and Sea Bags.
The Maine Office of Tourism will also launch its first mobile app about Maine lobsters, according to the paper.