Nearly double the number of people who visited Aroostook County in 2024 visited this summer, according to numbers released Thursday by the Maine Office of Tourism.
While visits were down across Maine as a whole, The County was among three regions that had the largest increases in visitors, along with the Maine Lakes & Mountains and Kennebec Valley areas.
Final tourism numbers won’t be out until the end of the year, but the snapshot of summer travel indicates 7.3 million people spent time in Maine, 6% fewer than last year’s 7.8 million. But Aroostook drew about 511,000 tourists during the season, a significant jump over roughly 300,000 people in 2024.
Several factors may be involved, but a new wave of in-state marketing seemed to reap benefits, said Jacob Pelkey, tourism promoter with Aroostook County Tourism and the Northern Maine Development Commission.
“The messaging was ‘Just Be, Be Here’ — a quiet tone, instead of adventuring, [for] folks who may be tired of the hustle and bustle of crowded areas like Bar Harbor and Portland,” Pelkey said Thursday. “It seems more people in the central Maine market were looking for alternatives that are more quiet and more wild, and we’ve seen more visitation particularly from that area.”
The number of visitors who came to Aroostook County increased from 3% of the statewide total in 2024 to 7% this summer, which Pelkey called “phenomenal.” He attributed the increase largely to how the tourism group marketed the region.
Fear of losing Canadian travelers, due to concerns about tariff and trade decisions by the federal government, prompted Aroostook County Tourism to market more heavily in other areas, Pelkey said.
For instance, because many people travel north to see family and friends, the group created a series of Maine-focused promotions that included all of The County’s summer festivals, designed to entice people to visit more than once.
“Our marketing message this summer was reeling into a place to relax with friends and family,” he said. “Those were new this summer, so people could see all the events rather than just one, and come out more than one time to reconnect and relax.”
Aroostook County Tourism’s video message on YouTube showcases its “Just Be” theme with clips from the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, water sports and people walking in a field of sunflowers.
The summer report also shows that 7 percent of Aroostook tourists traveled more than 50 miles to visit the region, Pelkey said.
In Maine overall, tourists spent just under $5 billion this summer, down 3.5% from $5.15 billion in 2024. But while here, they spent more money, Maine Tourism noted.
The statewide report also indicated that direct spending per visitor increased 2.5%; that the number of Maine residents visiting other parts of the state rose by 7%; and that 99% of people were satisfied and 97% would recommend visiting Maine to others. Also, 94% plan to return, the report said.