FARMINGTON – The Maine’s High Peaks Marketing Team recently attended a 3 hour DestinationNEXT workshop to gain an understanding of the process, complete the online survey and discuss key factors that could help its region become a stronger destination.
Tourism is one of Maine’s largest industries, employing approximately 106,000 people. That’s one out of every six jobs. In 2016, Maine attracted 35.8 million people, who spent $6 billion.
With numbers like these, Maine would be remiss if it did not do all it could to understand and stay well informed about this powerful economic driver and what Maine’s competition is doing in this arena. Fortunately, the Maine Office of Tourism has been monitoring tourism trends and discovered a program called DestinationNEXT. The vision of DestinationNEXT is to provide Destination Marketing Organizations with practical actions and strategies for sustainable success in a dramatically changing world and help tourism leaders answer such questions as: What will tomorrow’s DMO look like? How can today’s DMO leaders get their organization on a path that preserves tourism benefits, secures their marketplace position, and engages their diverse community interests in the process?
Wanting answers to these very questions, the Maine Office of Tourism contracted with Paul Ouimet and his team from Destination Marketing Association International to administer the DestinationNEXT organizational assessment for Maine and its eight tourism regions. This assessment is based on 20 variables related to destination strength and community support and engagement. It also helps to start a conversation and provide focus on what needs to be done to move forward.
When the assessment of the eight tourism regions is complete, each region will receive a customized report outlining their strong points and areas needing improvement, and the Maine Office of Tourism will receive a statewide report. Ultimately, this valuable information will provide the regional tourism councils and the Maine Office of Tourism a concrete direction regarding the future of Maine’s tourism industry.
To find out more and join other MHP Members, please call 207-235-6008 or email info@maineshighpeaks.com. Maine’s High Peaks is the marketing branch of the Flagstaff Area Business Association.
