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Data: Tourists spent $7.9 billion in Maine in 2021

Visitors gather at a waterfront park, Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Bar Harbor, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP file
Visitors gather at a waterfront park, Saturday, May 15, 2021, in Bar Harbor, Maine.

Tourists in Maine spent $7.9 billion last year — a huge rebound from a COVID-depressed 2020 season and an increase above pre-pandemic levels.

Those numbers come from the Maine Office of Tourism, which reports that tourist-related visitation increased by nearly 30%. Those tourists spent more on restaurants, shopping and accommodations. But spending on attractions and recreation jumped the most, up 184% compared with 2020.

The state says that the increased spending in the tourism industry ultimately generated more than $1 billion in tax revenue.