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Tourism & Recreation

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Feds award $2.5M to BigRock Mountain for new chairlift

Laurie Schreiber August 18, 2022

The existing lift is over 50 years old. The new lift will feature technology such as a touchscreen interface that eases system operations and maintenance. 

  • Acadia's 100th, ideal weather brought big bucks to Bar Harbor

    Laurie Schreiber October 17, 2016

    Acadia National Park's celebration of its 100th birthday, along with favorable weather, are two top reasons cited for a surge of visitors and business activity this past summer. Another contributing factor has been a marketing push by the Bar Harbor

    Laurie Schreiber October 17, 2016

  • Parks Director Ethan Hipple brings a fresh eye to Portland's open spaces

    Lori Valigra October 17, 2016

    Ethan Hipple is about six months into his job as parks director for the city of Portland, and already he's been part of settling the controversial redesign of Congress Square in the city's downtown.

    Lori Valigra October 17, 2016

  • Rockland's creative economy spurs a renaissance

    Laurie Schreiber October 17, 2016

    Thousands of seasonal visitors and summer residents have discovered a growing slate of cultural happenings in recent years in Rockland, with the transformation of a forlorn waterfront with an influx of businesses such as MBNA, succeeded by Boston

    Laurie Schreiber October 17, 2016

  • On Isle au Haut, Maine's economic woes are magnified

    James McCarthy October 17, 2016

    Isle au Haut, six miles long and two miles wide, is one of 15 year-round island communities in Maine, yet is among those with a tenuous hold on year-round sustainability. It faces many of the issues faced by small towns throughout Maine but

    James McCarthy October 17, 2016

  • National monument kickstarts Katahdin Region’s rebuilding

    James McCarthy October 17, 2016

    Eating and savoring a tasty fish taco with chips and unsweetened ice tea at the Appalachian Trail Cafe in downtown Millinocket a couple of weeks ago, my head was aswirl with questions about how the newly designated Katahdin Woods and Waters National

    James McCarthy October 17, 2016

  • Acadia centennial helps put Maine on track to break tourism records

    October 12, 2016

    Maine lived up to its nickname of Vacationland this summer, as the state is on track to break a number of tourism industry-related records, according to preliminary August data from the Maine Revenue Services.

    October 12, 2016

  • Portland official eyes moratorium on controversial East End development

    October 11, 2016

    A City Councilor says that the move will give Portland officials time to decide how it wants to advance with a development that would partially block Fort Sumner Park's popular vista.

    October 11, 2016

  • Giant bird sculpture: An economic investment or loony idea?

    October 11, 2016

    How much would you pay for a 6-foot-tall, 13-foot-long fiberglass loon? The answer for the town of Lincoln is $13,000. But not everyone in the Penobscot County community is embracing the tourist attraction that some see as a way to drive visitors

    October 11, 2016

  • Anchorpak, SPACE, Portland Farmers’ Market take home Indie Biz honors

    October 11, 2016

    The three-day holiday weekend kicked off with Portland Buy Local's Indie Biz Awards at the Portland House of Music and Events.

    October 11, 2016

  • That’s a wrap: The Cat finishes its first season

    October 7, 2016

    The inaugural season of Bay Ferries Ltd.'s new Portland-to-Nova Scotia ferry service, The Cat, has come to a close, and despite comparatively lower passenger numbers from its predecessor, the Canadian ferry operator says it's pleased with the

    October 7, 2016

  • Colby College bringing a 42-room hotel to downtown Waterville

    October 6, 2016

    A downtown Waterville building that was home to a Levine's clothing store from 1904 until its closure in 1996, is currently being demolished to make way for a 42-room boutique hotel and restaurant.

    October 6, 2016

  • Poland Spring seeing impact from drought

    October 4, 2016

    Maine's ongoing drought conditions are causing Poland Spring to transport its water from more distant sources in the Rangeley area.

    October 4, 2016
  • Lucas St. Clair

    #MBNext16: After fulfilling a five year dream, Lucas St. Clair still looks to the future

    October 3, 2016

    Lucas St. Clair sat with his wife, small staff and a documentary team around a conference table in his Portland office on a late August morning, waiting pensively for a phone call from the White House, a call that would culminate five years of

    October 3, 2016

  • #MBNext16: Emily Smith proudly expands a sixth generational Aroostook legacy

    Laurie Schreiber October 3, 2016

    Growing fresh produce is a legacy six generations strong at Smith's Farm, and the future is bright looking toward the seventh. That legacy is on Smith's Farm President Emily Smith's mind, even as she navigates the seemingly endless tasks involved in

    Laurie Schreiber October 3, 2016

  • #MBNext16: Brian Corcoran brings thousands of people — and millions of dollars — to Maine

    Jennifer Van Allen October 3, 2016

    Bowling and basketball may not be the most obvious economic development strategies. But when the Professional Bowling Association League came to Portland's Bayside Bowl for a six-day event in April 2015 and 2016, it had a $1.5 million economic

    Jennifer Van Allen October 3, 2016

  • Feds declare five Maine counties disaster areas

    Staff September 30, 2016

    Disaster areas have been declared in Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford, Sagadahoc and York counties by the USDA due to the ongoing drought.

    Staff September 30, 2016

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Today's Poll

Does cruise ship season help your business?
Poll Description

Sponsored by Kennebunk Savings Bank

Maine's cruise ship season is in full swing, running from late September through early November. Thousands of passengers are expected to visit Portland, Bar Harbor, Eastport or Rockland.

This week alone, Portland is set to welcome around 16,000 cruise ship passengers.

But as the season ramps up, it's bringing mixed reviews. Some locals brace for the crowds and many business owners say cruise ship visitors don't spend much while in the port. Other business owners argue that, even if cruise ships don't benefit their own coffers, they still benefit the overall economy.

When we asked this question in 2023, Mainebiz respondents, 21% said the visits bring customers and revenue, while only 18% said the visits don't help their business.

More than half of the respondents, 53%, said cruise ships benefit the overall economy, 

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