Memorial Working day weekend travel rebounded significantly in Maine in 2021, but it remained shorter of pre-pandemic levels with rural gains offset by dips in coastal tourism centers amid worldwide vacation restrictions and lingering virus considerations.
Just in excess of 330,000 cars crossed the Piscataqua River Bridge involving Friday and Monday, in accordance to information from the Maine Section of Transportation. That was a 68 percent maximize as opposed with 2020, when Maine nevertheless had coronavirus-associated vacation constraints for all states but New Hampshire and Vermont. But it was even now 14 % decreased than in 2019, when more than 380,000 autos crossed the bridge from New Hampshire to Maine in a weekend.
The number of cars touring as a result of Maine DOT depend stations across the condition was up 42 p.c as opposed with final yr but still 8 % decreased than in 2019. These improvements were not uniform, nonetheless, as website traffic lagged in southern Maine but rebounded additional in northern and rural components of the state that observed ranges exceeding 2019.
The southern coast was in particular hard-hit by decreases, with web-sites from Kittery to Saco looking at dips in targeted traffic that ranged involving 8 per cent and 14 percent relative to two years back. Kim Howard, executive director of the Aged Orchard Beach front Chamber of Commerce, claimed for the duration of a internet conversation hosted by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce that Memorial Day targeted traffic produced her “cautiously optimistic” for the rest of the time given the advancement from 2020.
But she cited the continued closure of the border with Canada as a significant challenge, specially for Previous Orchard Seaside, in which French-Canadian travellers have historic ties. The border has been shut for most of the pandemic but could reopen in July. Canadian vacationers accounted for 17 p.c of right away stays in Maine in 2019, according to facts from the Maine Workplace of Tourism.
Although vacation in southern Maine did not return to pre-pandemic levels, a number of places more north observed increased targeted visitors in contrast with the two 2019 and 2020. The amount of cars and trucks traversing the Thompson Island Bridge, which crosses from Trenton to Mount Desert Island and the tourist places of Acadia Nationwide Park and Bar Harbor, was up 3.2 per cent as opposed with 2019, in accordance to point out data. The rise comes on the heels of the national park’s busiest winter season at any time.
But the area that noticed the best proportional improve between any of the spots the place Maine DOT measures was alongside Route 6 in the Penobscot County town of Springfield, in which the number of motor vehicles crossing was up 12 per cent compared with 2019. Count web-sites on state highways in Dexter, New Portland and Ashland also saw additional automobiles this 12 months.
The raises in good shape with a pattern of increasing tourism in the highlands of Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, reported Kerrie Tripp, executive director of the Larger Bangor Conference and Readers Bureau.
She noted that some distant places had noticed an improve in readers among 2019 and 2020 — even as over-all vacationer visits declined considerably in Maine — as much more Mainers vacationed inside of the condition. Quite a few of those people tourists had been returning for a different go to this summer season, she reported, along with people from other states who may possibly feel safer vacationing in rural spots.
The higher journey quantities more than Memorial Day weekend still portend a fast paced summer time. Acquiring a reservation in the highlands is additional tough than 2019 or 2020, Tripp reported, with some properties already bought out fully. Whilst the deficiency of Canadian website visitors also took a toll in rural locations, Tripp said destinations had been also looking at enhanced tourism from domestic vacationers who opted to stop by Maine instead than travel internationally.
“Although we haven’t fully manufactured up for the decline of the Canadian readers, we’re undoubtedly carrying out very nicely with a large amount of people 1st-time readers that are coming to the state of Maine,” she mentioned. “So, there is a small bit of equilibrium.”