Newly named 'Visit Portland' releases 2016 tourism stats
Photo / Peter Van Allen
The Summit, docked in Portland's harbor this September. The newly named Visit Portland released figures today showing that 5.4 million people visited Greater Portland in 2016, spending $682 million at area businesses and generating $67 million in taxes.
The Greater Portland area hosted 5.4 million visitors in 2016 who spent $682 million at area businesses and generated $67 million in taxes, according to figures out on Thursday.
The numbers were released during the Greater Portland Convention + Visitors Bureau 35th annual meeting at the Holiday Inn by the Bay. The organization used the occasion to unveil a name change to Visit Portland, rebranding itself in line with industry-wide trends.
“'Visit Portland' is not only a call to action, it’s also an invitation,” said Lynn Tillotson, the organization’s president and CEO, in a statement.
She added: “The name 'Visit Portland' is critical in promoting Greater Portland’s distinctive allure, while remaining committed to serving our regional partners — comprised of 12 surrounding towns in the metropolitan area as well as the Casco Bay islands.”
More than 200 metropolitan areas have rebranded themselves in a similar fashion, including Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Orlando, Philadelphia and Phoenix, driven in part by a move towards simpler web addresses, social media handles and hashtags.
Visit Portland said its trademarked new name will help differentiate Maine’s largest regional Destination Marketing Organization from Travel Portland in Oregon.
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