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Maine Office of Tourism E-News - July / August 2005 MOT Targets International Travelers
"Because of the weak dollar, the U.S. is now a bargain for Europeans and Canadians. We want to be sure that Maine is well positioned to take advantage of the increase in market share," said Judy Bielecki, international marketing manager for MOT. In 2004, international travel to the U.S. rose by nearly 12 percent and is expected to increase another 6.5 percent this year, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). Spending by international visitors is expected to rise 10 percent in 2005, reaching nearly $82 billion. MOT's multi-faceted approach to international tourism marketing includes advertising and direct marketing, as well as promotional partnerships with other New England states, trade missions to major international markets, and state-side familiarization tours which enable overseas travel industry professionals to experience Maine first-hand. Don Haggett, director of sales for Lafayette Hotels, says, "I have spent the past five years working to bring foreign travelers to our properties, and MOT has worked side by side with us to try to expand our share of this ever-growing market." To maximize its marketing dollars, MOT focuses its efforts on Canada -- traditionally the source of the majority of Maine's international visitors -- as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, the three countries that generate the highest number of visitors to the U.S. MOT also participates in two regional partnerships: Discover New England, based in Vermont, markets the six New England states through representatives in the United Kingdom and Germany.. The New England Tourism Center, based near Montreal, is a destination marketing firm that promotes New England to eastern Canada. Because of the rich Franco-American heritage in the Pine Tree State, Maine also maintains its own marketing representation in Paris. A direct result of this endeavor is the addition of exclusively Maine tour packages by Kuoni, a major French tour operator. MOT also participates annually in TIA's International Pow Wow, the largest international travel marketplace in the U.S. At the recent 2005 Pow Wow in New York City, MOT conducted nearly 100 meetings with travel journalists as well as international tour operators and travel agents that sell trips to the U.S. For Maine attractions and accommodations interested in marketing their product to an international audience, Bielecki recommends Discover New England's International Marketplace and Tourism Summit. The summit is open to any business in Maine interested in marketing information, networking and one-on-one sales meetings with individual tour operators. The 2006 summit will take place March 20-22 in Boston. Audrey Miller, co-owner of the Cottage Connection, attended the summit for the first time in 2005. "We were humbled by our own region and how impressive we are collectively," she said. "Not only did I learn about international markets, but I also learned a great deal about what is in our own backyard." Office of Tourism Hosts Recent Press Trip
With the opening of the new Gateway Center and Lighthouse Museum and the reopening of the newly renovated Strand Theater in downtown Rockland, along with the inaugural of Maine Eastern Railroad's Brunswick to Rockland run, the journalists were able to sample the new and experience some of the favorite attractions in the area. The group first stopped in Freeport to learn about L.L. Bean's Outdoor Discovery Program and new tours to soon be offered by Maine Distilleries. They then enjoyed a trolley tour of Bath, a walking tour of Brunswick, the luxury train ride between Brunswick and Rockland, tours of The Gateway Center and Lighthouse Museum, the Strand Theater, The Farnsworth Art Museum and several downtown Rockland galleries. The trip ended with a tour of downtown Camden, the Amphitheater Park, a glass blowing demonstration at Prism Gallery and lunch at the Gallery Café. Web Site News Upgrades will soon be added to the www.visitmaine.com Web site. A new search feature for the events calendar will make this feature more user-friendly by providing a calendar image for selecting a date search range rather than having to select dates from a drop down menu. New region pages are being developed that will include interactive maps enabling people to view some of the attractions in the region. These will be expandable, giving us the flexibility to add more "layers" of information for each map. This upgrade is in response to consumers asking to see more maps of the state. Driving directions will be added as well. A combination of research from Longwood's and data from our own site has allowed us to identify the most visited towns in the state. As part of the region interface outlined above, the Office is developing Web pages featuring the most requested towns. More details about each of the towns and links to the chamber of commerce or CVB for each community will be included. Film Office News The Film Office was recently involved in the following projects:
The Film Office worked on the Celebration of Maine Filmmakers Program held at the Maine International Film Festival recently. The work included tabulating judges' scores and notifying scriptwriters for the Third Annual Scriptwriting Competition. This year there are two categories: feature film and teleplays. The Film Office also organized professional consultation for the winners of the Maine Scriptwriting Competition and organized a panel discussion on "How to Pitch Your Film Project." The consultants represented the studio feature film, independent feature film, television shows and documentaries. JUNE 2005 - Inquiry and Fulfillment Statistics for Maine Web site statistics for www.visitmaine.com January 1 - June 30, 2005 Total Visits: 868,917 (+ 8.8% versus 2004) Definition: The number of visits to this Web site during the report period. Each visit by each visitor is counted, even if the visitor came to the Web site many times. Total Page Views: 7,657,322 (+ 11.6% versus 2004) Definition: A hit to any file classified as a page. Keyword Searches: Between January 1 - June 30, 2005, visitmaine.com had the following keyword searches:
Marketing Resources
Internet Packaging Campaign (Maine Getaways) Travel Agent Leads 2005/2006 E-mail Marketing to Travel Agents (Current Schedule)
Free Business Listings on www.visitmaine.com All tourism-related Maine businesses are entitled to a listing on the Office of Tourism Web site, visitmaine.com. This Web site is promoted year-round in all advertising and public relations activities by the Office of Tourism. In order to take advantage of this marketing opportunity:
Free Event Listings on www.visitmaine.com Events posted on www.visitmaine.com are reviewed by our public relations agency each month. A selection of events is sent monthly to more than 700 media outlets worldwide. As a result, Maine events have been featured in several national and international publications. Please take advantage of this unique opportunity by posting your special events. If you have any questions about the above information, please contact the MOT at (207) 624-9826 or mark.turek@maine.gov. Please send comments or suggestions to Steve Lyons |
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With international travel experiencing a healthy rebound, the Maine Office of Tourism (MOT) is focusing on increasing its share of the 45 million international visitors expected to visit the U.S. this year.
The Office of Tourism recently hosted five travel journalists on the "What's New in Mid Coast Maine" press trip.