Maine Tourism Association

What Maine Tourism Association does

Maine Tourism Association (MTA) is a private nonprofit membership organization incorporated in 1922 (originally as the Maine Publicity Bureau) and headquartered in Hallowell, Maine. It is the state's largest tourism membership body, representing 1,500+ businesses across lodging, restaurants, camps, campgrounds, retail, cultural attractions, guides, and services. The organization functions simultaneously as a destination marketing organization and an industry trade association: it operates the consumer-facing mainetourism.com website (with direct booking widgets, event listings, and a Tripbuilder itinerary tool), produces the official Maine Invites You travel planner and the Official State Highway Map, and runs seven State Visitor Information Centers on contract with the Maine Office of Tourism.

Under a partnership with the Maine Office of Tourism, MTA staffs a toll-free visitor information line and serves as the operational layer for state-level destination marketing across all of Maine's tourism regions. Workforce development is a second strategic pillar, delivered through the Maine Tourism Leadership Academy, the Travel Ambassador Training & Certification Program, Maine Tourism Staffing Solutions (a wholly-owned recruitment and seasonal employee-sharing division), and the Maine Tourism Career Center (a six-association coalition job board). In May 2026 MTA extended into AI-powered trip planning through a partnership with Mindtrip, embedding conversational itinerary generation on VisitMaine.com.

The revenue model is membership-dues-based (subscription/recurring from 1,500+ tourism businesses) supplemented by advertising and marketing services sold to members via mainetourism.com listings and visitor-center brochure distribution. Additional revenue is generated through paid training programs (Leadership Academy at $1,100 per person, Travel Ambassador certification) and the Staffing Solutions division. Leadership is held by CEO Tony Cameron (appointed March 2020) and COO/Director of Government Affairs Alison Sucy, with a member-elected Board of Directors chaired by Brian Langley. The organization has no parent company, no funding rounds, and does not disclose financials.

Name

Maine Tourism Association

Legal name

Maine Tourism Association

Website

https://mainetourism.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Maine Tourism Association is a 1,500-member nonprofit trade and destination marketing organization founded in 1922 that operates Maine's seven state visitor centers, publishes the official travel planner and highway map, and provides marketing, legislative advocacy, and workforce development services to Maine tourism businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tourism Marketing & Advocacy

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Tourism association services
• Destination marketing
• Visitor information centers
• Travel industry advocacy
• Tourism workforce development

Headquarters

HQ city

Hallowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Private nonprofit membership organization funded by dues from tourism business members including lodging, restaurants, camps, campgrounds, retail establishments, and cultural attractions. The association represents over 1,500 members across the state.
2. Marketing & Advertising Services: Provides marketing opportunities and member listings on Mainetourism.com, plus marketing opportunities within the seven State Visitor Information Centers including brochure distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Maine Tourism Association is a private nonprofit membership organization that represents over 1,500 tourism businesses across Maine. It operates Mainetourism.com as the official state travel website, produces the official Maine Invites You travel planner and state highway map, manages seven State Visitor Information Centers on behalf of the state, and provides membership marketing, legislative advocacy, and workforce development services to the Maine tourism industry.

Product overview

The Maine Tourism Association is a private nonprofit membership organization that operates as the state's largest tourism advocacy group, offering a portfolio of interconnected products and services. The core offerings include Mainetourism.com (the consumer-facing website with booking capabilities), the Maine Invites You official travel planner publication, the Official State Highway Map, and management of seven State Visitor Information Centers. Additional services include the Tripbuilder tool for itinerary planning, membership benefits with marketing opportunities and legislative advocacy, the Travel Ambassador Training & Certification Program, the Maine Tourism Leadership Academy for workforce development, Maine Tourism Staffing Solutions for recruitment, and the Maine Tourism Career Center for industry employment. The association also partnered with Mindtrip in 2026 to integrate AI-driven trip planning capabilities into VisitMaine.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maine Invites You The state's official travel planner publication produced by MTA, providing comprehensive travel guide information for visitors to Maine, available in print and digitally.
• TripBuilder Online trip planning tool that allows visitors to explore Maine activities, add attractions to their itinerary, and share their customized travel plans.
• Official State Highway Map Maine's official state highway map distributed by MTA to assist visitors with navigation, available free on request or digitally.
• Mainetourism.com Website Primary consumer-facing website featuring member listings, direct lodging and activities booking with rates and availability, events calendar, coupons, and deals for visitors to Maine.
• State Visitor Information Centers Seven visitor centers managed by MTA across Maine (Kittery, Yarmouth, Fryeburg, Hampden North & South, Houlton, Calais, Trenton), providing brochures, travel information, and visitor assistance.
• Membership Services Membership program offering marketing opportunities, legislative advocacy, networking events, and member support services for Maine tourism businesses; over 1,500 members.
• Travel Ambassador Training & Certification Program Certification program for visitor-facing staff at hotels, attractions, and organizations that serve Maine visitors, requiring 84% or above on the certification exam.
• Maine Tourism Leadership Academy Leadership development program for frontline supervisors and high-performing employees in tourism and hospitality, featuring online coursework and in-person retreats with industry-specific training; $1,100 per person (with $550 Alfond Center Compact Grant option).
• Maine Tourism Staffing Solutions Staffing service that recruits employees from other states, provides background checks, arranges transportation to Maine, and facilitates seasonal employee-sharing partnerships to address tourism industry workforce shortages.
• Maine Tourism Career Center Online tourism career center launched by a coalition of six associations including MTA to connect job seekers with tourism industry positions across Maine.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represents over 1,500 member businesses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Visit PortlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Visit Portland partnered with Maine Office of Tourism to present Winter Weekdays program offering dining and lodging deals at participating establishments on slow weekdays from January 5 to April 30.
• HospitalityMainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026HospitalityMaine collaborated on the Winter Weekdays statewide program alongside Maine Office of Tourism, Greater Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Maine Tourism Association.
• Greater Portland Regional Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Collaborated on Winter Weekdays program, an expansion of last year's Winter Wednesday pilot, to boost midweek business during the slow winter season.
• Maine Office of TourismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Tourism Association works in partnership with the Maine Office of Tourism (state office under Maine Department of Economic and Community Development) to oversee operations of seven Visitor Information Centers and produce official state travel planner Maine Invites You and official state map. MTA handles visitor inquiries via official state phone and email, while MOT markets Maine domestically and internationally.
• Maine State LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine State Library is collecting and digitizing historic Maine tourism brochures for historical preservation and public access.
• Poland SpringcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPoland Spring (Nestlé Waters North America) donated $100,000 to create the Maine Tourism Relief Fund to assist Maine tourism businesses and employees impacted by COVID-19 shutdown.
• Maine Motorcoach NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Office of Tourism works with Maine Motorcoach Network for organized group travel coordination.
• Maine Sports CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaine Office of Tourism works with Maine Sports Commission for sports-related tourism development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Travel Association: National nonprofit industry association representing the U.S. travel and tourism industry. Directly comparable as a peer membership trade organization that provides advocacy, research, and member services for the broader U.S. tourism ecosystem; MTA's former CEO Chris Fogg sat on its board.
• Visit Florida: Florida's state-level tourism marketing corporation. Closely comparable as another large state DMO that operates a consumer-facing website, manages member/partner relationships, and runs destination marketing campaigns at scale.
• Visit California: California's state tourism marketing organization. Comparable as a peer state DMO operating a consumer website, member programs, and international marketing for tourism businesses, though at much larger scale.
• Visit Portland: Regional DMO for Greater Portland, Maine. Directly comparable as a destination marketing organization that collaborates with MTA on campaigns (e.g., Winter Weekdays) and overlaps in lodging, dining, and event promotion within Maine.
• Destinations International: Trade association for destination marketing organizations globally. Comparable as the industry body for the DMO sector, providing advocacy, research, and professional development to organizations structured similarly to MTA.
• HospitalityMaine: Maine's state hospitality industry trade association. Directly comparable as a Maine-based industry association representing lodging and hospitality businesses, partnering with MTA on programs like Winter Weekdays.
• Maine Campground Owners Association: Trade association for Maine campgrounds. Comparable as a Maine-based industry trade organization that is a current MTA board member and operates consumer-facing destination marketing for its niche.
• Ski Maine Association: Trade association for Maine ski areas. Comparable as a Maine-based tourism industry trade group with consumer-facing marketing and member services, and an MTA board member.

Broad incumbents

• Brand USA: The national destination marketing organization for the United States, charged with promoting inbound international travel. Comparable as a larger-scale, publicly-funded DMO working in the same destination-promotion category as MTA but at the country level.

Regional players

• Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing: State-level tourism marketing organization for neighboring Vermont. Comparable as a small-state DMO with similar outdoor-adventure, lodging, and seasonal tourism focus, though operated as a state government entity rather than a private nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mainetourism
• YouTubevimeo.com/user59272622
• Instagraminstagram.com/mainetourism
• Facebookfacebook.com/mainetourismassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Tourism Association