Tourism has been a washout in Northeast
By DAVID SHARP, Associated Press WriterOLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine - Relentless rain and cool weather since early June have sent visitors scrambling home and washed away millions of tourism dollars across the Northeast. But the first 80-degree readings this month gave a glimmer of hope Friday that summer can be salvaged.
June was the wettest on record in Atlantic City, N.J., and the second-wettest in New York City. In Portland, rain fell on 21 of the final 24 days of the month. And July hasn't been much better. Rain continued and it was chilly, failing to hit 60 three times in Portland.
In Old Orchard Beach, after the sun peeked out on the Fourth of July weekend, the rain returned with a vengeance, closing the historic pier and amusement rides, along with a nearby water park and theme park. Even when the sun shone, a chilly breeze left beachgoers with goose bumps.
''That wind is cold. I can't believe there are people on the beach,'' Melinda Ross, of Knoxville, Tenn., said as the temperature nudged 70 degrees Thursday.
Tim and Colleen Troville of Grand Isle, Vt., tried to make the best of it as the rain poured. They went to an indoor go-cart track. They hit the outlet mall in Kittery. They decamped to sports megastore Cabela's, where Colleen Troville bought herself a raincoat.
''A week off is like, 'Hey let's have some fun.' And it rains,'' she lamented Thursday as her son and daughter rode a couple of amusement rides before packing up.
Businesses that cater to tourists already anticipated a slow season because of the recession. Then they got a double whammy with the raw weather.
In this beachside town, the amusement rides were operating Thursday, but there were no lines. Parking was plentiful, as were vacancy signs outside motels.
The tourism season is young, so there are few statistics indicating how it's going. In Maine, those that are available point to a rough start. In June, traffic was down 3 percent on the Maine Turnpike, and day use at state parks was down by nearly a third.
There's no sugarcoating the bitter pill in a state where ''Vacationland'' is on the license plates and tourism is the biggest industry, pumping $10 billion into the economy.
Vaughn Stinson, chief executive officer of the Maine Tourism Association, put the damage at millions of dollars in Maine alone. ''When you have just day after day after day of that, it just really dampens - no pun intended - everyone's enthusiasm,'' Stinson said.
It's certainly bad for businesses that had to close. Story Land in Conway, N.H., and Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco are among those that closed briefly.
Under sunny skies, Friday marked only the seventh day in two weeks that Aquabaggon, a water park in Saco, was able to open this summer.
''That's depressing,'' said Lynn Hurst, general manager. ''This park has been open for 30 years, and we've never had a start like this before.''
In addition to being rainy, the summer could rank among the coolest in the Northeast, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University.
Hope springs eternal, however, especially when it hits 80. The biggest tourism months are July and August, so there's still time.
Business was down 10 to 15 percent in June at Story Land, but there's a lot of summer left.
''It's like Paul Harvey used to say. See me after Labor Day, and I'll tell you the 'rest of the story,''' said Jack Mahaney, marketing coordinator.
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FishCric
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07-12-09 2:30 PM
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I was at a local association meeting last year and the leader went as far to say if you have some kids have the register to vote in this area. wake up!
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vendor
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07-12-09 11:07 AM
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It should also be added that the APA policy of only allowing a small minority, of the population to use state land. Has become a real detriment to the area. With 3 million acres of state land under their control. It's time to look at all possibilities. While still protecting the environment. It can be done if they stop listening to the hysterical rantings of the Adirondack Council. It's sad that a group with only 18,000 members is able to control the taxpayers lands.
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CaptCrunch
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07-11-09 8:17 PM
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Yes, other than the natural beauty of the area, this is not a tourist friendly area in terms of infrastructure, attractions, accommodations and events. Given current events in SL it would be hard to know where to begin. Maybe a group should go tour several other parts of the country and see other areas which combine natural beauty with tourist friendly communities. They make money and have fun. Instead we have a sister city in France that we focus on??? Get real. Oh yes we WERE an All America City - oooooo
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transplant
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07-11-09 4:14 PM
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Anyone from upstate NY honestly knows nothing about tourism and what really attracts people. Sure, we have a lot of natural beauty to see but most families are looking for a lot more for their money and are a little pickier about their hotel choices. The Tri-Lakes area will not attract people for more than a weekend if there are not any changes.
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FishCric
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07-11-09 12:30 PM
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The worst thing is they get to blame the weather instead of themselves. and many will believe it
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TruthorGovernment
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07-11-09 10:25 AM
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Thank God "VACATIONLAND" state lawmakers had the foresight to raise the state'e lodging and meals tax another 1%. Wow now there's a state that knows hospitality!
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TourPro
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07-11-09 9:56 AM
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Still better than Mexico or Hawaii...
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UPeopleRNutz
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07-11-09 7:32 AM
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hmmm global warming?
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