Carmen Lorentz, left, Vicki Cimino, Ken Cail before this week’s New Hampshire Business Matters on WTPL-FM, where Cimino talked about this summer’s visitor forecast. Listen here.
Memorial Day holiday weekend, the unofficial kick-off to summer, is predicted to begin a record setting summer tourism season in New Hampshire. More than 600,000 people are expected to visit the state this weekend, spending approximately $95 million, 5 percent above last year.
The growth is forecast to continue through the summer, with the number of travelers expected to reach 16.5 million, a 6 percent increase from 2015. They are expected to spend an estimated $2.16 billion, 4 percent more than last summer. According to the Institute for New Hampshire Studies, a favorable regional economy and lower gas prices are two factors helping fuel the anticipated increases.
Visitors to New Hampshire this summer will come from New England and the mid-Atlantic states. The central and eastern regions of Canada remain important secondary markets for New Hampshire. The months of June, July and August are the busiest of any three-month travel season in New Hampshire.
The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development last week kicked off the state’s summer promotion campaign, which inspires visitors to Live Free while seeking new adventures, such as surfing, ATVing, mountain biking, kayaking and whitewater rafting. The campaign is aimed at travelers in Boston, New York, Quebec and Ontario and includes a mix of new television commercials, and transit, digital and print advertising. View the commercials on VisitNH’s YouTube channel.
Tags: Carmen Lorentz, Live Free, Summer 2016 forecast, Victoria Cimino, Visit NH