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Maine Beaches Association tells York County commissioners tourism generates $2.6 billion in visitor spending
Summary
Ed Hodgdon, grant manager for the Maine Beaches Association, briefed commissioners Feb. 19 on a state-funded marketing program for York County beaches, reporting 2023 figures that show about $2.6 billion in direct visitor spending, 3.8 million visitors and roughly 34,000 tourism-supported jobs in the county.
Ed Hodgdon, grant manager for the Maine Beaches Association, presented to the York County Commissioners on Feb. 19 about the association’s marketing work, funding and the region’s economic footprint. Hodgdon said the association receives a state grant (reported in the meeting as $250,000 for the year) to support marketing, asset development and visitor fulfillment efforts.
Hodgdon summarized visitor-demographic data collected by the Maine Office of Tourism and a third-party researcher, noting the region drew about 3.8 million visitors in 2023, with direct visitor spending in York County of approximately $2.6 billion. He said about 2.7 million visitors stayed overnight, occupancy hovered near 51%, and the Main Beaches region accounted for about 25% of statewide visitation. Hodgdon added tourism in the region supports about 34,000 jobs earning about $1.4 billion in wages and contributes to an estimated $4.0 billion total visitor-generated economic impact (direct plus ancillary effects) for 2023.
Hodgdon described marketing activities supported by the state grant, including paid digital advertising (OTT, YouTube, Google), an updated website that saw 214,000 unique visitors in 2024 (a 66% increase over the prior year, per the presentation), a printed visitor guide distribution program, photo and video asset development, and trade-show attendance (including a planned appearance in Toronto during the week after the meeting).
Commissioners asked about storm impacts on beach visitation after January coastal storms; Hodgdon said there were immediate cancellations in some cases, but a “Back to the Beaches” campaign and outreach helped restore visitation by May and that the association continues to monitor visitation and adjust marketing. He also said the association is tracking potential declines in Canadian visitation and will report findings from current trade-show outreach and market research.
Ending: Hodgdon said new 2024 data were just released to the association the day of the meeting and that he would provide updated reports to the county when available. Commissioners thanked the presenter and flagged the tourism program’s importance to the county’s economy.
