After a year of empty hotel rooms as many would-be travelers stayed closer to home as possible due to pandemic, Midcoast hotels, motels and vacation rental businesses are seeing a surge in bookings for summer
With the Pine Tree State welcoming travelers from all states without restrictions, many dates across Midcoast hotels have already been sold out, according to owners and managers who spoke with The Times Record
“With COVID-19 restrictions at ease, tourists from outside the state have started coming,” Connie Lay, owner of Freeport-based Candlebay Inn said. “The bookings have picked up drastically. Our hotel rooms are nearly fully booked for this month and completely booked on weekends for the entire season.”
Meanwhile, at the newly renovated Sebasco Harbor Resort in Phippsburg, advance bookings are exceeding previous years. The resort also has hiked its room rates this year.
“Over the last two years, major renovation and repair works were taken up at the resort. It is justified to increase the room rates considering the expenses we have incurred,” said Bob Smith, the lighthouse keeper at the resort. The rates have been increased only by a small amount, he added, declining to give the exact figures.
Noting that there are 27 rooms and cottages in the resort, Smith said there is a high demand for cottages when compared to rooms and suits located in the main lounge area.
Meanwhile, a search engine analysis of Hopper, a travel app, conducted in April lists Portland as the top-searched destination in the country.
According to the analysis, Maine fits the bill for several top travel trends — beaches, outdoor destinations, national parks. It follows a trend of Americans favoring domestic vacations, rather than traveling overseas, stated the analysis.
Anticipating a busy summer in the Midcoast, Cory R King, executive director of Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber, said as per various studies, about 55% to 72% of Americans are planning to travel this summer.
These figures are being echoed locally by many businesses who are predicating this could be a big year, added Cory.
Noting that off late traffic congestion is seen on Route 1 in Brunswick, King said, “Usually there is not much traffic blockage until the end of the school year in mid-June, but in the last three weeks there has been a steady in-flow of cars with out-of-state license plates, so I take that as a good sign.”
Campground operators across the region are seeing similar trend of an uptick in reservations.
“Pandemic did not affect our industry at all,” Pat Kosalka, owner of Sagadahoc Bay campground, said. “This is the only industry that made money last year. This year will be incredible too.”
Looking forward to welcoming more guests to the region, Debora King, executive director of Brunswick Downtown Association said, “Brunswick has been witnessing a significant rise in tourist footfall. People are starting to get comfortable resuming normal, pre-pandemic activities. The recently held Bowdoin College graduation has kicked in the whole summer season in this region with folks visiting from different places. We are excited to resume our outdoor activities.”
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