Highlights:
- Maine had a 0.5% share of US overnight leisure trips, down from 0.7% in 2017. Best New England showing was Connecticut with 1.5% share - why?
- 54% of overnight visitors and 52% of overnight trips occurred in the summer.
- Overnight leisure visitors spent an average of $973 per party, 51% of that on lodging.
- Examples of overnight trip planning resources:
- Internet 67%
- Friends/family/co-worker advice 48%
- Social media 25%
- Travel guides/brochures 15%
- State tourism office 7%
- Examples of websites consulted:
- TripAdvisor 39%
- Google Maps 38%
- Search engines 34%
- Facebook 31%
- VisitMaine.com 30%
- MaineTourism.com 14%
- DiscoverNewEngland.com 7%
- Other destinations considered:
- None 65%
- New Hampshire 10%
- Vermont 8%
- Massachusetts 5%
- Top 5 motivators for selecting Maine:
- Friends or relatives live here 24%
- Scenery/ocean views/foliage 14%
- Beaches/ocean/lakes/coast 11%
- Work-related 9%
- Mountains/nature/wildlife 7%
- 68% used a mobile device to research Maine during trip.
- Average party size of overnight leisure trips: 3.1
- 33% of overnight visitors traveled with children.
- 77% of overnight leisure visitors traveled to Maine in their personal car, 9% by rental car, 7% by air
- 70% of overnight leisure visitors stayed in paid accommodations.
- Average length of overnight stay was 3.6 nights.
- 77% of overnight leisure visitors were repeat visitors.
- Regions overnight visitors came from:
- Mid-Atlantic 45%
- New England 41%
- Canada 14%
- States overnight visitors came from (top 5):
- Massachusetts, New York (tie) 22%
- Pennsylvania 10%
- New Jersey 7%
- Connecticut 6%
- Regions most visited (top 5):
- Maine Beaches 24%
- Downeast & Acadia 18%
- Maine Highlands 16%
- Maine Lakes and Mountains 11%
- Mid-Coast 10%
- Of those, repeat visitors favored Maine Beaches and Mid-Coast, first-time visitors favored Downeast & Acadia, Maine Highlands, Maine Lakes and Mountains.
- Only 27% of overnight visitors to Maine also visited a nearby state/province on same trip.
- Primary purpose of overnight leisure trips (top 5):
- Visit friends/relatives 26%
- Outdoor recreation 23%
- Holiday visit 13%
- History/culture 9%
- Shopping 8% (especially Canadians from Maritime Provinces)
- Drivers of travel (top 5):
- Touring/sightseeing 20%
- Food/beverage 19%
- Family/children's activities 14%
- Outdoor activities (not water) 13%
- Shopping 12%
- Maine attributes that exceeded expectations (top 5):
- Overall experience 65%
- Friendliness of people 59%
- Genuine experiences 56%
- Welcoming locals 55%
- Quality of dining 55%
- 75% of overnight visitors said they definitely will recommend Maine to others.
- 75% of overnight visitors said they have specific plans to visit Maine again or definitely will visit again.
=====================
Comment: It would be of interest - and actionable by both public and private sectors - to know the attributes of Maine that visitors said they found disappointing.