Tourism Is Going To Feel Very Much Like 2019 In Maine This Summer

Things really do seem to be getting back to normal a bit.

For better or worse, it does seem like our day-to-day life is headed in a more normal direction. The state and federal CDC have been indications that things that some of us have grown accustomed to will be changing. Kids are dropping masks at school, people are being told in other instances that masking indoors is going away.

And despite some people being a bit gun shy, most folks are ready to embrace the way things used to be. Heck, my wife and I ate out at a restaurant indoors for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. It was weird, but I loved every minute of it. Especially the part where I didn't have to do the cooking.

People are also chomping at the bit to travel.

I have no idea where I'd like to go, but I know I'd like to see someplace besides home this year. And it would seem the same is true for everyone. In fact, if you were to look at the number of reservations for state park campsites, it's kind of mind-blowing. From what I saw from WABI, this is a banner year for it in Maine.

For instance, in 2020, there were barely more than 5,000 reservations for the whole year. In 2021, when people were longing for normal times, but still a bit anxious about getting out there, the numbers bumped a bit to just more than 7,500. Again, this is the number of campsite rezzies for the whole year....

2022 is going to be bananas.

Already, the state parks in Maine have had over 9000 reservations for campsites so far. In fact, there were 4500 just in February. If you look through that lens, one could easily surmise that folks wanting to stay in hotels and Airbnb-style lodging are also logging some serious numbers headed into summer.

Good or bad, Maine thrives on its tourist season. It'll be nice to see it start to bounce back in full. Or, maybe some many people moved here from out of state, that they're already here, hahaha. But, get ready to get back to the good old Maine tradition of complaining about tourists, because they're on their way.

KEEP READING TO SEE AN AWESOME AIRBNB WHERE YOU CAN SNUGGLE WITH BABY GOATS...