EDITOR'S NOTE

Here come the tourists

Tourists. They clog our roadways, crowd our beaches, make it harder to get a dinner reservation, but thank goodness they're here.

Their impact on the Seacoast economy is substantial.

Restaurants, retail shops and hotels struggle through the late winter months as they await tourists' return. Cottages sit empty in beach communities. Seasonal businesses are boarded up.

But, come May and June, visitors start to return and the pace of life and business changes.

New Hampshire estimates tourism supports 66,700 full- and part-time jobs. In Maine, more than 1 in 10 jobs are in tourism, representing a $3.8 billion payroll.

State budgets benefit. Maine's 2003 estimate is $549 million. Visitors to New Hampshire paid $112.5 million in rooms and meals taxes in 2005.

In 2005, tourism generated an estimated $5.6 billion in direct and indirect spending in the Granite State. (See story.)

In Portsmouth, the number of hotel rooms keeps growing, but the occupancy rates are keeping pace, or even growing. Last August, hotels had an 89 percent occupancy rate, up from 85 percent in that month in 2004.

The chamber attributes Portsmouth's success as a tourist stop to it's history, beauty, theater and restaurants. (See story.)

The Music Hall alone estimates that its shows and other events bring more than $4 million a year into the local economy through visitor-related spending.

But, The Music Hall and places like Strawbery Banke are among the few attractions that draw visitors year round. Many others are seasonal in nature.

New Hampshire doesn't have any firm statistics about the size of the seasonal economy, but for places like Hampton Beach, it is critical.

"Seasonal businesses are the backbone of our economy," says Pat Morgenstern of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce. (See story.)

And the beach has been able to extend its season in a big way with the annual Seafood Festival in September.

Beyond September and up until early next year "" although it is not exactly tourism "" New Hampshire will have the opportunity to take advantage of the large field of candidates seeking the presidential nomination in 2008.

The state Division of Travel and Tourism plans to promote New Hampshire's coveted first-in-the-nation primary.

"I think there's an opportunity to capitalize on some of these political junkies who hear about the New Hampshire primary," said Victoria Cimino, a spokeswoman for the agency during the March tourism summit in Portsmouth that was underwritten by Seacoast Media Group, publisher of Seacoast Ventures. "If we're able to market our product creatively I think there's an opportunity to tap into some new folks." (See story.)

The Seacoast is fortunate not to have to depend on the seasonal business from tourism. It is diversified in the businesses that drive its economy.

But tourists certainly don't hurt. Anyone want to buy a T-shirt?

Reach CAL KILLEEN via e-mail or 570-2243.