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January 24, 2008

Tourism revenue revision draws fire

Tourism officials are crying foul over a recalculation that has lopped off billions in sales generated by the state's lucrative tourism industry.

An economic model recently adopted by the Maine State Planning Office and State Economist Catherine Reilly doesn't count dollars spent by Maine residents during in-state trips, according to the Portland Press Herald. That's reduced overall tourism receipts from $13.6 billion in 2004 to a recent estimate of $8.9 billion. Reilly told the Press Herald that it was a "very big stretch" to count day trips, adding that they shouldn't be considered a net gain for the tourism industry.

That reasoning has drawn fire from a number of tourism officials, including Maine Office of Tourism Director Pat Eltman, who told the paper she didn't agree with Reilly's decision. Others are concerned that the recalculation of tourism revenue will impact the state's tourism marketing budget, which at $8 million is already well below the national average of $13 million.

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