2024: Visit Portland, Maine's 41st Annual Meeting.

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2. WELCOME

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Amanda Cooley
Corporate Giving and Community Relations Coordinator

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C I N T A S
C T M M E D I A G R O U P
F LY T E N E W M E D I A
F R O M T H E N E S T
H U M A N I N T E R E S T
K E N N E B E C S A V I N G S B A N K
K N A C K F A C T O R Y
L O C A L I Q
M A I N E O F F I C E O F T O U R I S M
M A I N E T O U R I S M A S S O C I A T I O N
M A I N E LY T R A I N I N G
O P U S C O N S U LT I N G
P O R T L A N D S C H O O N E R C O .
R E A L M A I N E W E D D I N G S
R O C K R O W
S P + C O R P O R A T I O N
T O W N S Q U A R E M E D I A
W O H L E R & C O .
YA N K E E P U B L I S H I N G

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9. WE WORK FOR YOU

10. VISIT PORTLAND STAFF
T E A M
Plus 15 Part-time Visitor Information Center staff and 30 volunteers!
LYNN AMY KIRSTIE KATE
CAROLINE RICHAR ABBY BRIGITTA
LAUREN

11. 2023
GREATER PORTLAND VISITATION

12. 2022 2023 % from 2022
Visitors to Greater
Portland
2.54 Million 2.9 Million 14.8%
Direct Spending $1.37 Billion $ 1.6 Billion 14.4%
Total Economic Impact $2.41 Billion $2.8 Billion 15.3%
Job Generation 23,400 21,400 8.5%
Total Impact on Wages $948 Million $1 Billion 9.8%
SAVES GREATER PORTLAND HOUSEHOLDS $2,174 IN TAXES
GREATER PORTLAND: 2023 VISITATION
www.MOTPartners.com
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

13. www.yourdomain.com
61% OF VISITORS TRAVELED FROM 8 U.S. STATES
• 31% from New England states
• 24% from Mid-Atlantic states
• 13% from Southeast States
• 10% from the Midwest
• 9% from Maine
• 4% from the West
• 4% Southwest
• 3% Canada
• 2% International
9%
10%
5%
6%
15%
5%
5%
6%
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM
REGIONS
MA (15%)
NY (10%)
ME (9%)
NH (6%)
FL (6%)
PA (5%)
NJ (5%)
CT (5%)
Boston Metro
NYC / NJ Area
Washington DC/Baltimore
STATES
CITIES

14. VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS
• 25% of visitors traveled to Greater Portland for the first time
• 70% of visitors drove
• 86% of visitors traveled with no children
• Stayed an average of 4.7 nights in Greater Portland
• 33% Hotel/Motel/Resort
• 21% Family/Friends Home
• 12% Vacation rental Home
• Median age is 51 years old
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

15. VISITOR ACTIVITIES
Food/Beverage/Culinary
Shopping
Touring/Sightseeing
Outdoor Activities
Entertainment/Attractions
History/Culture
Water Activities
Other
76%
57%
57%
33%
29%
21%
20%
11%
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

16. SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM
TRAVELING WITHIN MAINE
Greater Portland ONLY
Midcoast Region
Maine Beaches 33%
44%
30%
Downeast & Acadia 25%
* Multiple Responses Were Permitted
* All other regions were under 7%

17. VISITOR SATISFACTION
• 98% would recommend Greater Portland to a friend
• 91% will return for a future visit
• 98% were satisfied with their trip to Greater Portland
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM
• 36% said restaurants exceeded their expectations
• 31% said service exceeded their expectations
10%
9%
CUSTOMER SERVICE

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SEASONAL RESEARCH
If you have a busy location
and wish to host an interviewer,
please contact:
Erin Dinkel
erin@dsg-research.com
www.MOTPartners.com

19. MARKETING HIGHLIGHTS

20. RESOURCES

21. GUIDING OUR DECISIONS
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM
ADVERTISING INFLUENCES PLANNING RESOURCES
52% Social media 38% Advice from family / friends
39% Internet 34% Online Search Engines
27% Print 17% Use travel guides / brochures
12% Blogs 21% Articles or Travelogues

22. DIGITAL + SOCIAL MEDIA AD CAMPAIGNS
63 BLOGS

23. GOOGLE ADWORDS - TOP 20 KEYWORDS
Resulting in 11.74% click-through rate - Industry average 4.68%!

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740 M
UNIQUE VISITORS - 3% INCREASE
2.2 M
PAGE VIEWS
2023 TRAFFIC: WEB + SOCIAL
MA
ME
NY
VA
FL
GA
NC
OH
PA
MI
9% growth over 2022
Across All Platforms: 131,000 followers
70 K 1.9 K
8.5 K
51 K

25. CHANGING THE NARRATIVE

26. White
Asian
Black
Hispanic
Indigenous
Other
85%
6%
4%
3%
<1%
2%
VISITOR DEMOGRAPHICS
SOURCE: DOWNS & ST. GERMAIN | MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM

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Lisa Jones

28. INAUGURAL MEDIA TOUR
JULY 2023
25 Media & Entertainment
Personalities
with a reach of over 1 million
from NYC, CT, MA, NJ, and
Atlanta
“I never would have considered visiting Maine if
Black Travel Maine hadn’t invited us!”

29. INAUGURAL MEDIA TOUR
JULY 2023
25 Media & Entertainment
Personalities
with a reach of over 1 million
from NYC, CT, MA, NJ, and
Atlanta
“I never would have considered visiting Maine if
Black Travel Maine hadn’t invited us!”

30. INAUGURAL MEDIA TOUR
JULY 2023
25 Media & Entertainment
Personalities
with a reach of over 1 million
from NYC, CT, MA, NJ, and
Atlanta
“I never would have considered visiting Maine if
Black Travel Maine hadn’t invited us!”

31. INAUGURAL MEDIA TOUR
JULY 2023
25 Media & Entertainment
Personalities
with a reach of over 1 million
from NYC, CT, MA, NJ, and
Atlanta
“I never would have considered visiting Maine if
Black Travel Maine hadn’t invited us!”

32. MLK SKI WEEKEND - 2024
23 Media & Guests
from NY, CT, MA, Philadelphia,
Washington DC, and Atlanta.
Tour reached 1/2 millions
followers
“I had no idea how amazing Portland would be.”

33. MLK WEEKEND - 2024
23 Media & Guests
from NY, CT, MA, Philadelphia,
Washington DC, and Atlanta.
Tour reached 1/2 millions
followers
“It was my
fi
rst time skiing, I will give it an 11 out of
10!! I hit the slopes a lot but I LOVED IT!!!”

34. Explore Greater Portland’s Hidden Gems and our Diverse
Community in the Winter
54% of visitors who were inspired by a TV show or
fi
lm said
it made them think about Maine as a place to visit

35. MAINE MEETINGS

36. MAINE MEETINGS
EMAILS: 13 e-mails sent, reaching 5,000 planners with 24% open rate
LINKEDIN POSTS: 2 million impressions and 13,700 clicks
FACEBOOK ADS: 3.5 million impressions and 28,000 clicks
GOOGLE ADS: 3 million impressions and 11,000 clicks
CONTENT: 10 meeting-focused articles

37. WEB TRAFFIC
MAINEMEETINGS.COM
24,000 users from NY, PA, IL, CA, VA, MA, FL, and NJ
• 26% from LinkedIn ads
• 18% from Facebook ads
• 16% from Digital ads
VISITPORTLAND.COM/MEETINGS
Increase of 40,000 visits from ME, MA, NY, VA, FL, IL, and CA
• 51% from Google searches

38. MEETING PLANNER FAM TOUR
JUNE 2-5
10 planners
Site Visits
Activities
Eat in the Restaurants
Pre & Post Destination Perception
Video Content
Photo Content

39. LOCAL AWARENESS
CAMPAIGN

40. DESTINATION MARKETING
ORGANIZATION (DMO)

41. DESTINATION MARKETING
+ MANAGEMENT
ORGANIZATION (DMMO)

42. Portland | Bar Harbor Referendums
Worked with Cruise Maine & Cruise Portland Maine
Launched Portshare Promise
Inspired by Juneau, Alaska
Passenger Management | Sustainability
portsharepromise.com
Feedback Hotline
Hop-on | Hop-off Shuttle
Traf
fi
c Safety Guides
Passenger Educational Video
Community Information Program

43. PORTLAND
TOURISM DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
- 4 YEARS IN THE MAKING -

44. THE POWER OF TOURISM

45. ITS EFFECT IS FAR REACHING

46. Work started on May 31, 2019
4 years and 3 months later we passed through city council on September 18, 2023
WHY?
Portland, 210th District in U.S.

47. HOW?
• Maine State Development District Law
• Assessment on non-seasonal hotels, 40+ rooms
• City sends an assessment invoice
• Hotels pass on a “fee” to the guests for
collections
• This is NOT an optional lodging tax!
• The hotels must pay the assessment invoice
• The city remits all funds, less 10%, back to the
district for programming
• Visit Portland is the
fi
scal agent and will do the
work of the marketing plan
• All funds are to bene
fi
t the payers and used for
marketing efforts
• All plans are overseen by the board
• Each year, we go to city council for approval

48. SPENDING THE FUNDS
MARKET OUR DIFFERENCES AS MAINE’S URBAN CENTER
FOCUS ON THE SHOULDER SEASON
HIGHLIGHT THE DIVERSITY OF OUR COMMUNITY
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
BUILD A CONTINGENCY FUND
DESTINATION MANAGEMENT
We won’t have to pick and choose!

49. LET’S WORK TO GIVE BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY

50. HISTORY IN THE MAKING

51. Tawny Alvarez, Verrill
Michael Briggs, Inn by the Sea
Zachary Briggs, Portland International Jetport
Stephen Bromage, Maine Historical Society
David Cof
fi
n, Headlight AV
Chris Hall, Greater Portland Council of Governments
Quincy Hentzel, Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce
Margaret Hoffman, Visit Freeport
Adam Goldberg, Maine Mariners
Michael Erickson, Holiday Inn by the Bay
Jeff Gambardella, Nonesuch Brewing Co.
Ken Lafayette, Best Western Merry Manor
Tom Largay, Old Port Card Works | Old Port Candy Co.
Maureen LaSalle, Southern Maine Community College
Don Little
fi
eld, Maine Brews Cruise
Tracy Michaud, University of Southern Maine
Casey Oakes, Portland Ovations
Norman Patry, Summer Feet Cycling
Damas Rugaba, New Mainer Staf
fi
ng
John Schultzel, Olympia Companies
Phil Spiller, Discover Westbrook
Shawn Sullivan, L.L.Bean
Emily Sutton, Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks
David Turin, David’s Restaurants
Cary Tyson, Portland Downtown
DEDICATED + SUPPORTIVE BOARD

52. CHAIR
John Schultzel, Clarion Hotel
VICE CHAIR
Mathew Nolan, Press Hotel
VICE CHAIR
Sam Brown, Portland Regency Hotel & Spa
SECRETARY
Michael Erickson, Holiday Inn By the Bay
NEWLY FORMED BOARD
Natalie Bogart, Amtrak Downeaster
Sarah Dobbins, Townsquare Media
Gerard Kiladjian, Principal Hospitality
Jeff Lidinsky, Westin Portland Harborview Hotel
Casey Oakes, Portland Ovations
Pam Laskey, Maine Day Ventures
Kevin Pagnano, Courtyard by Marriott Downtown
David Turin, David’s Restaurant
Greg Watson, City of Portland

53. CITY COUNCIL TESTIMONY
IN CHAMBERS
Ian Bannon
Rich Brooks
Joshua Chaisson
Steve DiMillo
Paul Drinan
Damas Rugaba
Peter Doyle
Allie Gill
Donato Giovine
Adam Goldberg
Lisa Jones
Cindy Juskiewicz
Gerard Kiladjian
Pam Laskey
Forest Ma
Sean MacCarthy
Nancy Marshall
Paula Mahony
Matthew Nolan
Chris O’Neill
Norman Patry
Damas Rugby
Rachel Sagiroglu
Cary Tyson
Kaitlyn Wentworth
Will Wenzel
Avery Windham
LETTERS OF SUPPORT
Erin Elizabeth
Marcin Gorski
Mark Heisler
Angie Helton
Tom Largay
Robin Lapoint
Derek Meader
Kim Madore-Smith
Tony Payne
Heather Sandborn
Jeff Shaw
Sarah Sutton

54. DIE HARDS!!
SEPTEMBER 18, 2023 | 9:43 PM

55. 170 LOYAL PARTNERS
(52) 10+ years - 14%
(29) 15+ years - 8%
(40) 20+ years - 11%
(49) 30+ years - 13%
65 New Partners in 2023

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57. MEET IN MAINE
AWARD
Presented to a local person or organization
who efforts produced the convention with
the largest economic impact.

59. BEACON AWARD
Presented to the partner who is an icon in the
Greater Portland region, achieved through
continuing passion, excellence, and consistency.
This business is a shining example of Greater
Portland’s unique character, and is recognized and
anticipated by visitors and locals.

60. PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

61. PARTNER OF THE YEAR
FOR DEVELOPMENT + REVITALIZATION
Presented to a partner business that
signi
fi
cantly enhances the region and
serves our community through its brand,
values, products, and programs.

62. www.yourdomain.com
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63. HOSPITALITY + TOURISM
EXCELLENCE
Presented to a business whose values, efforts, and achievements best
represent to visitors the authentic nature of the Greater Portland
region. This business has contributed in numerous ways to our region’s
reputation by providing creative thinking, world-class products and
services, and exemplary customer service, which enhance our
destination’s appeal among visitors as well as those who work and live
here.

65. SPECIAL RECOGNITION

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TASTE OF TWO WORLDS
• Driven by the next generation of tourism & hospitality
students at USM
• Collaboration between 10 USM students and 17
Greenlandic cooking school students
• Partnered with Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness
• Honor’s Maine’s Indigenous culinary traditions
• Collaboration fosters skill development in local food
studies, agritourism, research, communication, and
emphasizes inclusivity and cultural sensitivity
• Translated into 3 languages
Placed 1st in Best Arctic Cookbook at the Gourmand World Cookbook Fair in Saudi Arabia

67. WORKSHOPS + TRAINING

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WORKSHOP SPEAKERS
CARY WESTON
SUTHERLAND WESTON MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
ABBIE MCGILVERY
FROM THE NEST SOCIAL

69. TOURISM TALKS
12 Marketing Fundamentals
Demystifying J1 & H2B Visas
Resourceful Recruiting
How to Thrive in a Competitive Marketplace
Simplify Social Media
Experiential Travel
Search Engine Optimization
Wellness Tourism
In
fl
uencers; Marketing, Social Media & Trends
Safety Awareness & Protection
A Guy Walks Into a Bar & Walks Out with a $750,000 Settlement

70. VISIT PORTLAND EVENTS
MARKETING MEETING
Wednesday, April 10
Brunswick Hotel
PARTNER MIXER
Wednesday, May 1
Batson River @ Lincoln Hotel
FRONTLINE ORIENTATION
Monday, June 10
Ocean Gateway

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75. THANK YOU
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