ACT MTMPP Grant Report | Final | July 1 , 2023 through June 30 , 2024
MTMPP Regional Grant Final Report Reporting Period : July 1 , 2023 through June 30 , 2024
Overview : At the top of New England is Maine ’ s Aroostook County a place you can simply just be . Here , a vast patchwork of evergreen forests and generationally owned farms collide to spill over our borders into New Brunswick , Canada . The 2023 / 24 grant year included the horrific Lewiston Mass Shooting which paused paid advertising , a winter that never came , the launch of a new website for inspiring travel to Maine ’ s Aroostook County , and the sky went dark for 3 minutes and 19 seconds of totality on April 8 th .
The Maine Eclipse was a welcomed influx of visitors in the early springtime , a time that normally marks the start of mud season in the region . The event was promoted as “ family fun April 5-8 th & take Tuesday too ” which resulted in a 99 % increase in spending as compared to the previous four weeks while 80 % of visitors were from out of state . Six municipalities in Aroostook County designated 19 Star Park locations that featured safe viewing areas for visitors . The impact of the Great North American Eclipse is not only felt as an economic boost but also for creating a new pool of first-time visitors who had a positive visit to The County . Creating repeat visitation from those first-time visitors is the new goal .
In recent years , Aroostook County Tourism ( ACT ) has completed evergreen written copy to guide and inspire visitors to explore The County while securing a robust photo library . The Maine Office of Tourism ( MOT ) high-level completed a full fall foliage and ATVing photoshoot in Houlton , Maine while 146 photos were secured from local photographers Deschaine Digital , aParadis Photography , and Northscape Photography . These content types are framed better than ever in a redesigned www . VisitAroostook . com .
The mobile-first design of the new website is rich in photography and quickly moves users from deep activity hubs of maps , information , and tools into inspiring content like articles , itineraries , and related points of interest . The new framework streamlines requests for information , and guidebook / fulfillment requests , and cultivates a helpful hub of information for in-region stakeholders to leverage ACT for collaboration and resource sharing . The website project continues to be in a phase of construction and was built by the PROTOS Agency of Portland , Maine .
“ Maine ’ s Best Winter .” this celebrated group of words is something Aroostook County takes a lot of pride in , the 2024 winter campaign tagline replaced the 2020 era of “ Come North .” and the creatives were inspiring and deployed with enthusiasm . However , Mother Nature had other plans , and the season saw little snowfall and poor trail conditions that negatively affected local businesses in the region .
“ Just Be .” a simple , uncomplicated call for visitors to enjoy the little things on the quiet side of Maine is a tagline tested through organic content and later pushed out through paid advertising in the spring and summer of 2024 . The language was well received by visitors and paired well with imagery of both solo travelers and family travelers .