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:
  1. Friends or relatives live here 24%
  2. Scenery/ocean views/foliage 14%
  3. Beaches/ocean/lakes/coast 11%
  4. Work-related 9%
  5. 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:
  1. Mid-Atlantic 45%
  2. New England 41%
  3. 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):
  1. Visit friends/relatives 26%
  2. Outdoor recreation 23%
  3. Holiday visit 13%
  4. History/culture 9%
  5. Shopping 8% (especially Canadians from Maritime Provinces)
• Drivers of travel (top 5):
  1. Touring/sightseeing 20%
  2. Food/beverage 19%
  3. Family/children's activities 14%
  4. Outdoor activities (not water) 13%
  5. Shopping 12%
• Maine attributes that exceeded expectations (top 5):
  1. Overall experience 65%
  2. Friendliness of people 59%
  3. Genuine experiences 56%
  4. Welcoming locals 55%
  5. 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.

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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.