Maine Woods Sustainable Tourism Initiative

As the network coordinator for the MWC, The Northern Forest Center is working with partners to advance a three-part Maine Woods tourism development strategy.

• Maine Woods Tourism Training Initiative (MWTTI)
  The purpose of the Maine Woods Tourism Training Initiative is to deliver a comprehensive, multi-modal training program to meet educational needs expressed by tourism businesses and their employees in the Maine Woods. Now in its second year, MWTTI is managing and organizing local tourism training networks in six Maine counties, and expects to deliver 18-20 business training opportunities in 2011.
   
• Maine Woods Tourism Quality Labeling Research
  Quality labels for tourism have been used successfully in some parts of the world to build enduring brands and help tourists confidently select high-quality experiences well suited to their expectations. MWC members are working with Bowdoin College economist David Vail and a small group of resource people and stakeholders to evaluate interest among businesses and trade associations in a Maine Woods Tourism Quality Label.
   
• Maine Woods Discovery
  Maine Woods Discovery is a regional pilot project to support network-based tourism packaging and promotion among primarily small and medium-sized Maine Woods tourism providers. The MWC is working with business, non-profit and state partners to build on the program launched in summer 2009 by developing and marketing a second generation of experiential tourism offerings.

To learn more about the Maine Woods Sustainable Tourism Initiative, please contact:
Mike Wilson, Senior Program Director, Northern Forest Center; or a member of the Maine Woods Consortium Coordinating Team