Visitors drawn to sun, sand and sea fill Old Orchard Beach in July. While there were fewer visitors to Maine this past summer, they spent more per person. The total direct spending for summer 2024 was $5.15 billion, a slight decline from $5.17 billion in 2023. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

Maine saw about 9% fewer tourists this summer compared with 2023, in part because of less available housing and fewer visitors staying with friends and family or in second homes.

The state’s tourism office recently released its summer visitor tracking report and found that while there were fewer tourists this past summer (about 7.8 million), they spent more per person. People staying in paid accommodations spent more than usual, resulting in only a slight decrease in overall spending compared to last year.

The total direct spending for summer 2024 was $5.15 billion. Last summer, it was $5.17 billion.

“The spend stayed steady,” said Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Tourism.

Ouellette added that the survey showed high rates of visitor satisfaction: 94% of respondents said they would return for a future visit, a good sign for the strength of Maine’s tourism industry, she said.

Maine has also seen an increase in visitors outside the usual summer season, and year-to-date lodging through October increased slightly since 2023, despite the summer decrease, Ouellette said.

Ouellette said Maine, like some other destinations, is “starting to see a stabilization” following post-pandemic increases.

“There was quite a surge after the pandemic, or a pent-up demand,” she said.

Tourists also spent less time in Maine this year. The total number of visitor days dropped 15.5%, largely because not as many people stayed for long periods in second homes or with friends and family, according to the report. The average length of stay declined from 5 days to 4.6 days.

Laura Dolce, executive director of the Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce, said one explanation for the declining number of visitors is that tourists opted for more local trips when there were overseas travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. That has changed as tourists are now able to visit Europe and elsewhere, bypassing local destinations. She said the Kennebunk area was boosted by cruise passengers who docked in Portland and arrived by bus in the York County town.

Kathy Raftice, director of Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, where the Portland Head Light attraction is located, said they don’t have statistics for the summer yet, but she believes the park bucked the statewide trend and had increased attendance.

“We had a great turnout this year,” Raftice said. “Portland Head Light did very well.”

Raftice said a number of park improvements in recent years, as well as cruise ships offering bus trips to Fort Williams Park, has boosted attendance. They now have four food vendors – Cousins Maine Lobster, Pie-Oh-My!, Gorgeous Gelato and Bite Into Maine – to give parkgoers more options when visiting. The park includes not only the historic Portland Head Light, but also walking paths; a museum and gift shop; the remains of Battery Keyes and Battery Blair, two early 20th Century military defense facilities; and tennis and pickleball courts.

Most visitors, 78%, drove to Maine, with the majority of visitors coming from New England and mid-Atlantic states like New York and New Jersey, according to the report.

Nearly half of visitors – 49% – ate lobster during their 2024 Maine summer vacation, while 40% visited brew pubs or craft breweries, similar to 2023’s survey. And 45% enjoyed water activities, such as going to the southern Maine beaches, while 58% shopped during their visit.

Tina Hewett Gordon, general manager of Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, said the summer weather was among the best in years. Spending was flat but picked up in September, October and November, in keeping with the recent trend of more visitors coming to Maine during the shoulder seasons.

“It was a great season. It wasn’t a record-breaker as in the past,” she said. “The spending wasn’t great. Inflation had a role in this.”

The weather cooperated this year, particularly compared with last year’s abundance of rain. In contrast, this past summer was drier, with few heat waves. And unseasonably warm weather has extended into autumn, Gordon said. “It’s been a super strong fall,” she said.

Staff Writers Morgan Womack and Daniel Kool contributed to this report.