Northern Forest Tourism Network
Collaborating to Create a World Class Destination – Join Us!Place-Based Collaboration
By Shaunacy Cobb, of the Maine Woods Consortium, Staff
A group of Maine tourism businesses that typically compete for the same customers are now working together to create a new product line under a single brand name – Maine Woods Discovery.
Maine Woods Discovery represents an emerging business model for rural tourism development, bringing together large and smaller scale tourism providers, all dedicated to providing a high level of customer service. Four-season recreation resorts Sunday River, Sugarloaf and Saddleback Maine; outfitters Northern Outdoors and New England Outdoor Center; along with the Appalachian Mountain Club and Maine Huts & Trails are serving as “hosts” for the new Maine Woods Discovery vacation packages. These hosts partner with smaller scale businesses and non-profits to develop place-based, multi-day visitor experiences focused on the appreciation and use of the region’s natural and cultural assets.
The program offers packages that combine overnight accommodations with daily core activities, some meals, and special gifts. Winter 2010 packages include cross-country skiing, dog sledding, downhill skiing and snowmobiling and have been organized to offer visitors consistently high quality accommodations and opportunities to experience the natural features of the Maine Woods.
