"With this program we can now be more responsive and support smaller organizations with great tourism-related projects that just need a boost," said Carolann Ouellette, Director of the Maine Office of Tourism.
The Tourism Enterprise Marketing Grant program is a new initiative of the Maine Office of Tourism, introduced in 2014 in response to input from representatives of the industry in Maine. Grants are reviewed and awarded biannually in spring and fall.
The fall 2014 awards total is $70,591. Grant recipients are as follows:
Bethel Maine Moose Lottery Festival - $10,000 The Bethel Chamber of Commerce will be the host
of the annual three-day festival in Bethel in 2015. The award will help to promote this June event, which coincides with the drawing of Maine's Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Moose-Hunting License Lottery.
Hermione Visit to Castine - $10,000 The Castine Historical Society will celebrate the visit of the French ship Hermione in July 2015. Marketing will promote the rare opportunity to see a replica of the French ship that brought the Marquis de Lafayette to aid the colonies during the American Revolution in 1780.
Emerge Film Festival - $10,000 The Androscoggin County Chamber of Commerce will promote Emerge, a three-day film festival in Lewiston-Auburn. The Festival, which is held in early April and attracts visitors to the L-A area during a low-traffic shoulder season, attracts national attention to Maine.
Flavors of Freeport - $5,000 FreeportUSA will grow traffic to town in an off-season and increase overnight stays through the foodie event, Flavors of Freeport. The event will include a Chef Signature Series Tasting and an Ice Bar, February 20-22, 2015.
Maine Craft Weekend - $10,000 The Maine Crafts Association, Maine Brewers Guild and Maine Made are collaborating to promote visits to studios and businesses that are producing quality Maine products during the Maine Craft Weekend held annually in October. The grant will expand promotional efforts and provide downloadable maps to identify participating businesses.
Crown of Maine Balloon Festival - $7,000 Funds will support the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce marketing to promote the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. The project will reach potential visitors in Canada and Maine through print and social media and aim to increase traffic to the website for the annual August event.
Maine Art Museum Trail - $8,591 The Maine Art Museum Trail, a collaborative of eight art museums, is rebranding the Trail first developed in 1997. The funding of this project will include a new brochure, updated map and distribution. The Maine Art Museum Trail members are Bates College Museum of Art, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Colby College Museum of Art, Farnsworth Art Museum, Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Portland Museum of Art, University of Maine Museum of Art, and the newest member, Monhegan Museum of Art and History, which joined the trail in 2014.
Katahdin Woods & Waters Scenic Byway Website - $10,000 The Katahdin Tourism Partnership is a strong collaboration of partners along the Katahdin Woods & Waters Scenic Byway running from Matagamon to Baxter State Park. Funds for this project support the development of a new website representing interpretive sites and activities along the scenic byway corridor.
Recipients of the first round of grants awarded in spring 2014 were: The Bicycle Coalition of Maine for Bike Maine 2014; Freeport USA for the Freeport Fall Festival; The Kennebunk-Kennebunkport-Arundel Chamber of Commerce for public relations expansion; and the Maine Craft Association and Maine Brewers Guild for the collaborative Maine Craft Weekend event.
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