PORTLAND, Maine — Statewide, hotel stays during the summer months make up more than half of all lodging business revenue in Maine.
A study released in February by the Maine Development Foundation explores the possibility of growing Maine’s tourism revenue pie by picking up more traffic in the “shoulder season” of May, September and October.
“Lengthening the season could help businesses that cater to tourists sustain more consistent revenues throughout the year, and provide more reliable year-round job opportunities to hospitality workers,” states the report written by University of Maine economics professor Todd Gabe.
In some of the busiest summer spots, the report suggests, an increase in May, September and October traffic could help drive new revenue without causing congestion.
The report uses lodging business revenue as a metric for tourism traffic to the state, finding revenue in those months has made up more than half of the statewide total for each year annually from 2004 to 2015.
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That ratio has remained consistent across years, as lodging revenue (adjusted for price changes) rose last year to a high of $852 million.
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Those sales are a small portion of the state’s total taxable sales — about 4 percent — but also reflect just one touch point for tourists or business travelers who are likely spending elsewhere.
While the study found little change in the annual share of revenue from “shoulder season” tourism, it did identify the most seasonally dependent regions of the state, defined as economic statistical areas.
The report generally found that the state’s urban areas have a more even spread of lodging sales throughout the year.
A Bangor Daily News analysis of 2015 sales data showed coastal destinations such as Kittery and Bar Harbor logged more than 60 percent of all lodging revenue in the summer, while urban areas such as Bangor, Portland and Lewiston had more even splits of lodging sales among summer and shoulder months.
While the report points to opportunities to increase shoulder season tourism, a closer look at specific areas of the state shows a more even distribution of those numbers isn’t the only thing to watch.
The Skowhegan area, which regularly logs its busiest lodging month in September, had the highest share of tourism in the shoulder months last year, but it was among the least busy for total lodging revenues.
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That plot makes clear where the areas of opportunity might lie — in places such as the Biddeford region, Bar Harbor, Damariscotta, Kittery, Camden and Sebago Lake.
All are highly ranked alongside other areas of the state for lodging sales, with nearly 60 percent of that revenue coming in during the summer months and about 30 percent during the shoulder season.
And, of course, the Maine Tourism Association pushes visits in all seasons “whether you’re a leaf-peeper or a sun-seeker.”