Tourism group meets with Governor

By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
    AUGUSTA — Tourism representatives of Aroostook County successfully pitched an idea on Feb. 2 at the Governors Conference on Tourism that Aroostook County is a great place to vacation, whether you’re looking to adventurously steer an ATV around backwoods trails or aimlessly drift your way down a river on a warm, sunny day. They accomplished this by actively discussing all The County has to offer and by having, hands down, the best display at the conference.
    Vendors, tourism entities and the eight regions of Maine mixed and mingled trade show-style with touring companies, media outlets and other participants between conference presentations, which allotted Aroostook County representatives ample time to educate conference members about why visiting Aroostook County is worth the trip.
    The message certainly resonated with a few interested influential individuals.
    According to Leslie Jackson, tourism and graphic design specialist at the Northern Maine Development Commission, The County may be just the ticket for a couple of tour group leaders whose patrons are looking for something different.
    “I had about two or three of these tour guides comment that the typical people they bring on their tours are looking for something different, and that Aroostook County is definitely something different than what the rest of the state has to offer,” she said.
    Offering something different is defiantly something that the Maine Office of Tourism has focused on, especially with their new slogan, “There’s more to Maine.”
    “I think [the MOT] is really making a conscious effort to include other areas besides the coast [into their advertising], which I think is great and I hope they continue and do more,” said Janet Kelle, director of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and member of Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development (LEAD).
    While many vacationers venture to the county in the winter months — few places can match the trails in northern Maine — there was discussion about what Aroostook tourists can do during the summer months.
    When Jackson was asked “what there is to do in The County during the summer,” she described the lakes, streams, and the quiet calm of nature unobtainable in the cities or suburbia.
    Aside from the natural appeal, however, the goods manufactured in the county are showing to have quite a draw on consumers who can’t get enough.
    At the Aroostook County display, Jackson had arranged numerous northern Maine products for conference members to view.
    “I wanted to bring a little bit of Aroostook County to them,” she explained, and conference-goers received the display fantastically.
    “People were interested and amazed that so many things were manufactured in Aroostook County,” Jackson said. Specifically, Fox Chips and Twenty 2 Vodka generated quite a bit of chatter regarding where the products could be purchased and whether or not facility tours could be arranged.
    With newer tourism prospects, there are, however, some Aroostook signature events that have been drawing crowds for years, like the Maine Potato Blossom Festival held in Fort Fairfield, and Kelle always mentions the festival when she attends tourism conventions. Where else do tourists have the option of participating in mashed potato wrestling?
    This was the second Governor’s Conference Kelle had attended, but she mentioned that it was, by far, the best.
    “The sessions that they had here were really interesting,” she said, referencing specifically the seminar on social networking — Facebook, Myspace, Twitter. While the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce is already a Facebook member, Kelle did look into obtaining a YouTube address for the chamber.
    Social networking and an increased online presence are avenues that Aroostook County Tourism plans to walk down.
    “That seems to be the way things are going in marketing, and so that’s where we’ll be,” Jackson said. She also mentioned how the international market may be approached in the near future, designing a multi-lingual Web page that promotes The County in a couple different languages to accommodate European travelers.