Hello, This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
Well, I don't have to tell you that recent years have brought historic challenges to the tourism industry here in Maine, and when the global pandemic closed international borders and made consumers wary of where they ate, and how they traveled, and which hotel they stayed in, we all worked very hard to protect and to elevate Maine's reputation as a safe destination.
As a result, people flocked to Maine. They stayed safe. They fell in love with everything that makes our state so special. From the mountains where you can hike to see the sunrise, to our lakes and streams, all great for fishing, to our iconic rocky coastline with views unlike anywhere else in the world, and our sandy beaches and our islands waiting to be explored.
So people felt safe coming here, and Maine families themselves had "staycations," enjoying everything that our state has to offer. And all of that contributed millions to our economy and to our state's robust recovery from the pandemic.
Well, our tourism industry is still a major contributor to our continued economic growth. Last year, nearly fifteen million people visited our state, and they spent more than $9 billion here. All that spending supported businesses that employ nearly 116,000 people here. Put another way, every 128 tourists support one job in Maine. Nearly 800,000, or 5%, of our visitors last year were from Canada, and those Canadian visitors spent nearly $500 million.
Well, on the eve of another summer tourism season, we are again facing some economic uncertainty. That uncertainty is not being driven by a pandemic this time, but by harmful rhetoric and painful tariffs that our Canadian neighbors say make them feel unwelcome in the United States. They don't want to come here and they're uncertain about visiting the state of Maine. It's estimated we could lose 225,000 visitors from Canada this year. That means hundreds of thousands of fewer people staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants, shopping at our businesses.
I've heard it said that we could make up the difference by attracting visitors from other states, but remember that other states will be competing for those visitors too. While some may say having fewer tourists from Canada may allow Maine people to have "staycations" themselves, let's remember the survival of many small businesses in our hospitality sector depends on overnight visitors -- those who stay longer and spend time and money in our hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions.
Small businesses in Old Orchard Beach are already feeling the effects of the President's tariffs. The owner of Point of View Inn says as much as 90% of his family-run hotel's bookings for the summer season are being paused or canceled. The owner of the Paradise Park Resort Campground said they've had more than 100 cancellations. That's a 250% increase in cancellations from normal. The owner of the Beach Hotel told a news outlet, "It's sad when the people at the top affect the people at the bottom because we really are powerless."
Well, I've been speaking to some of my Atlantic Province Canadian counterparts, and I want to reassure them every day that Maine will continue to welcome Canadian residents to enjoy world-class experiences here in Maine. And that in turn, we'll continue to visit their provinces as well. I'm committed to working with Canadian leaders to preserve cross-border travel, encourage tourism, and promote each other's advantages and amenities.
I've also been inspired to think about making my own visit to Canada this summer through the provinces and I encourage Maine people to do the same with their families.
Each of us can be a good ambassador for our state. We are all the people who make our state "Vacationland," and we want to do everything we can to support the tourism industry here in Maine.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.