PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2023
A Labor Day weekend of blue skies and balmy temperatures has given a needed boost to businesses that depend on tourism dollars in Maine. Statewide, it wasn’t a banner season for tourism business, “but it hasn’t been a bad summer, either,” said Becky Jacobson, interim executive director of HospitalityMaine. Tourism remains a primary economic driver in Maine, with 15.4 million visitors tallied in 2022. Tourists spent more than $8.6 billion here last year, supporting 151,000 jobs and contributing nearly $5.6 billion in earnings to Maine households. Visitors to the state also saved each Maine household $2,172 in state and local taxes last year. Acadia National Park, one of the state’s major attractions, racked up 3.97 million visits last year, which injected $479 million into the local economy and supported nearly 6,700 jobs, for a cumulative economic benefit of $691 million.