FREEPORT
A $10,000 grant from the Maine Department of Tourism will help Freeport USA persuade more Canadian visitors to travel to Maine this year.
“This is the fourth time we’ve been awarded,” Freeport USA Executive Director Kelly Edwards said about the state tourism grant.
Freeport USA is a nonprofit association that markets retail, cultural and transportation options to Freeport around the world. The Freeport award is one of eight tourism marketing grants awarded recently. In all, the state set aside $112,500.
“Tourism is an integral part of Maine’s economy, supporting 99,000 jobs and contributing to quality of life for Maine residents,” said Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner George Gervais in a statement. “These grants promote the growth of Maine’s tourism industry and help keep our downtowns, cultural institutions and outdoors heritage vibrant and alive.”
Most of the Canadian visitors to the U.S. hail from Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
“We wanted to do this for a very long time, based on research we saw from Maine tourism,” said Edwards.
Online banner ads and social media campaigns will be created. Promotions through magazine and online publication East Coast Traveler will connect Canadian visitors with New England destinations.
Guide books and maps promoting Freeport as a destination will be featured at Canadian locations. CAA, the Canadian equivalent of AAA, also will play a role in helping Freeport catch the attention of vacation-planning Canadians.
“We’re excited to see what the possibilities are,” Edwards said.
The exchange rate of a Canadian dollar to a U.S. dollar is nearly 77 cents. Past travel to Maine shows that is not a deterrent, said Edwards. Half of visitors to Maine in October were from Ontario.
lconnell@timesrecord.com
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