Tourism is possibly the most critical industry across all of Maine’s economy. In 2018, 37 million people visited Maine. Those guests added $610 million to our state tax base and were responsible for $2.6 billion going directly to workers.
In Old Orchard Beach, the thousands of visitors who come into our town on any given summer day are what keep our bars and restaurants alive. It is the money they spend at our restaurants, at our hotels, at Palace Playland and at every shop on the boardwalk that increase our municipal tax base. The money spent by our tourists in the summer is largely what drives our schools and public services the rest of the year. We thrive on these summer tourists. The implications that this pandemic has on our economy are not lost on us.
Now that the Gov. Janette Mills has announced her phased approach to restarting the economy, there are a lot of questions about what it will mean for the tourism industry. The plan outlines four stages to reopening Maine’s economy, opening more kinds of businesses each month, expanding limits on group sizes and slowly lifting social distancing guidelines over the summer. The plan continues the 14-day self-quarantine for people entering Maine from out of state through the summer and doesn’t have lodging open until June. The full plan can be read at the “Restarting Maine’s Economy” website.
While the Administration has articulated that this phased approach to re-open our economy is fluid and subject to change based on public health data, that doesn’t make it any easier for our local seasonal businesses.
There is no sugarcoating the fact that these restrictions will massively shrink our tourist economy. The revenue we appreciate from our summer guests is what keeps our town going. And unfortunately, the fact is, we have found ourselves in an extraordinarily difficult position, balancing our economic viability with sound public health measures.
Maine has experienced lower pandemic numbers than other states of similar size and population density, in part due to the state’s detailed response to COVID-19, and our collaborative adherence to each mandate. And while we have been seeing consistently lower numbers of new COVID-19 cases that indicate that Maine is indeed flattening the curve, we are certainly not out of the woods yet. If we try to get back to normal too quickly, we could easily find ourselves inundated by visitors from COVID-19 hotspots like Massachusetts, causing an outbreak in Maine and risking many more lives.
What we need is to come together across the state and regionally to develop better solutions for our tourism-driven communities. We in the Legislature have been meeting with our legislative colleagues, municipal leadership and the administration to address the very real implications these initiatives have on our economy, while assuring that we are practicing sound public health measures to keep us all safe. We are working hard to assure that we are advocating the needs of our town to safely re-open and conduct business and are pushing for greater oversight and accountability.
The Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD), under the leadership of Commissioner Heather Johnson, led the effort to help Gov. Mills create the current reopening plan. The DECD worked closely with medical experts and business leaders to craft the plan, and they have been clear from the start that this plan can and will change as public health data changes and as more economic solutions are developed. For example, Commissioner Johnson shared at a press briefing that DECD recognizes the problems the 14-quarantine creates for the tourism industry and that they are actively looking for an alternative to that mandate.
DECD will be issuing additional guidance regarding their checklists for businesses to open while adhering with safe public health guidelines, and we will continue to elevate the issues we are hearing from residents, who are concerned about our economic livelihood as well as protecting our public health.
This is our time to come up with the solutions that will enhance the current reopening plan. In addition to our continued diligence to find solutions to safely re-open our economy, anyone can submit their ideas directly to the DECD through a portal they’ve set up on their website. And, if the plan is to continue as is and the tourism industry is truncated, this is the time for us to plan to support the industry in other ways.
Additionally, the Maine Tourism Association is working with private industry to set up a Maine Tourism Relief Fund to help some businesses through. In other states they have set up tourism task forces to think of creative solutions. In Maine, towns like ours have already been talking about how to address the tourism problem, but we can do more by talking to our neighbors to create regional approaches to make sure that our communities are aligned and setting each other up for success.
Some of the other ways in which we are working on behalf of our town include:
Creating a legislative advisory group aimed at assuring that businesses feedback is incorporated to assist the Administration in making informed decisions with each corner of the state represented; working with the Administration to explore opportunities for additional financial relief for tourism and hospitality businesses hit hard especially those in OOB/Ocean Park; getting the word out to the business community with opportunities to not only have their voices heard, but their questions answered, such as by contacting Business.Answers@Maine.gov. This goes directly to the staff at the DECD.
Without a doubt, the months ahead will be difficult with long-term impacts, but if we come together now, we can create solutions for our critical tourism industry.
Lori K. Gramlich, D-Old Orchard Beach, is a Licensed Master Social Worker and is serving her first term in the Maine House. She is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Justin Chenette is serving his second term in the Maine Senate representing Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Hollis, Limington and Buxton. He is the chair of the Government Oversight Committee, co-chair of the Democracy Reform Caucus, a member of the Environment and Natural Resources and Ethics Committees, and serves on the Maine Climate Council’s Coastal & Marine Working Group. He is also a Citizen Trade Policy Commissioner.
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