May 2026- Partner Pulse
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In This Issue:
- Tariffs, Politics, and the Iran War
- Visit Portland on the Move
- Discover New England Post FAM Tour
- Noteworthy Industry News
- Portland in the Press
- Upcoming Industry Events
- Tourism Talks
- Partner of the Month
- Featured B2B Partner
- New Partners
Tariffs, Politics, and the Iran War Continue to Slow Canadian Travel to the U.S.
Longwoods International released their latest Canadian Travel Sentiment survey. Here are some key takeaways:
- 35% of affected travelers are replacing their U.S. trip with domestic Canadian travel. Europe, Mexico, Asia, and the Caribbean are the international alternatives.
- 38% of Canadians say the Iran War is making them less likely to travel internationally at all, not just to the U.S. Of those, 38% will postpone and 35% will swap for a domestic trip.
- 42% of Canadian travelers say the CAD/USD exchange rate is also changing their plans, suggesting economics and politics together are a double deterrent.
Visit Portland on the Move
Destinations International Convention Sales + Services Summit
Director of Group Sales & Marketing, Abby Traver, attended the Destination International 2026 Convention Sales + Services Summit in Dallas, TX in April, where she was able to attend two full days of educational seminars alongside industry leaders and CVBs.
Discover New England Post FAM Tour
Chief Business Officer, Kate McDonough, attended this year’s Discover New England Summit in Burlington, Vermont. This was a valuable opportunity to strengthen our international reach and build on existing relationships. During the marketplace, Kate completed 37 one-on-one appointments with tour operators and receptive operators representing 17 different countries, all actively selling or looking to expand their New England product.
Ahead of the summit, we hosted a pre-summit media FAM in Portland, welcoming eight international media for an overnight stay to experience the destination firsthand. The group included editors, journalists, and broadcasters from outlets like Travel Weekly, The Independent, and JRNY Magazine, representing key markets including the UK, Ireland, Italy, and Germany. It was a strong opportunity to generate earned media and position Portland as a destination worth covering.
Following the summit, we extended the experience by hosting 20 tour operators from Germany, Italy, Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. While in the region, they experienced a mix of what makes this destination special—learning about Maine’s craft beer scene, taking a lobster roll making class, shopping in Freeport, and getting out on Casco Bay to view Portland Head Light. Thank you to our partners who hosted our pre and post FAMs.
Noteworthy Industry News
The Maine Office of Tourism has released the 2025 Economic Impact & Visitor Tracking Report. Below are some key statistics:
- In 2025, there were 14.5M visitors, which is a 4.4% decrease from 2024; however there was an increase in length of stay.
- Customer spending hit $9.37B, which is a 1.4% increase compared to 2024.
- The total economic impact from visitation was $16.56B, which is a 1.2% increase from 2024.
- This direct visitor spending supported 108,800 jobs, $5.23B in wages and saved households $2,040 in taxes.
Portland in the Press:
- Portland was just named “Best Town for Exploring on Foot” in EatingWell’s 2026 Wellness Town Awards. Read article here.
- Visit Portland recently hosted a travel writer, Dontaira Terrell, who’s story about Portland’s culinary and coastal charm was picked up by USA Today. Read her article here.
Upcoming Industry Events
- HospitalityMaine is hosting their annual Scholarship Dinner, May 19th, 5:00 PM-8:30 PM at Poland Spring Resort. Learn more
- Portland Downtown is having an Annual Meeting, Thursday, May 21st, 4:30 PM-6:30 PM at the Portland Downtown office. RSVP here
- The Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce is hosting their annual Imagine Portland Awards at Live at Madrid’s on Wednesday, May 27th, 4:00 PM-6:30 PM. Learn more
- The Maine Tourism Association is hosting a Summer 2026 Economic Outlook Webinar Wednesday, May 27th, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Register here
Tourism Talks: “Navigating Your Business in Today’s Economy” Postponed to July
Sponsored by the Clarion Hotel. Tourism Talks are free, partner-exclusive workshops for you and your staff led by professionals in their industry.
Join Danielle Couture from Opus Consulting in a discussion covering the economic headwinds hitting the industry right now – from rising costs and declining tourism to labor shortages and lender pressure – and best practices that can help businesses stabilize, adapt, survive, and scale.
New date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Clarion Hotel | 1230 Congress St, Portland
Our next Tourism Talks session will be “How AI is Impacting Local Businesses” with Joe Conway, owner of Sonar Digital on Tuesday, June 23.
pARTNER OF THE MONTH
Our Partner of the Month Program highlights Visit Portland Partners who have made extraordinary efforts to support our mission.
Click here to see who we are honoring this month.
fEATURED b2B PARTNER
Words@Work delivers fractional CMO-level guidance by aligning the day-to-day marketing efforts with your strategic plan, bringing targeted expertise to level up your marketing, and providing the extra hands to get the work done. Get more from your marketing budget with a Words@Work marketing re-alignment. View listing
New Partners
Why am I seeing both logos?
Our new brand is rolling out in phases, with the launch of our new website serving as a key milestone before a full public transition. Because this update spans every touchpoint, from digital platforms to signage and printed materials, you will see both logos in use for a short period. We appreciate your patience as we work to complete the transition by the end of June.