Fewer visit Quoddy region

"I might as well have been closed this summer," says Jack Willson of South Bay Campground in Lubec. "Our summer has been off 60% from last year, and I can't even pay expenses. I'm planning to sell." Willson says each summer has become worse, "We have a pool, two miles of frontage on bay, the campground is quiet and private, a mile deep with 74 slots." He believes that one reason for the drop-off is "the weathermen on Bangor stations. They slaughter me. The weather report is always wrong for here, and people do not want to camp out when they think it is going to rain. Most of the time, it didn't rain. I would like to punch the weatherman in the nose."

Many other businesses in Lubec reported lower than average, if not disastrous, results during the recent summer season. With many residents dependent on the income from the summer months to carry them through the year, a bad tourist season can have serious financial repercussions through the winter and beyond.

Suzannah Gale of the Home Port Inn had a slower season as well. "In July we noticed we were really slow. The restaurant was down this year. We are perceived as being the most expensive restaurant in Lubec C we do have excellent, high-end food. But for SummerKeys, Lubec would really have suffered this year. I have noticed fewer casual travelers, who on the spur of the moment travel. The vacationers who plan their vacations ahead of time call for reservations C those numbers have remained the same."

Gale's observations are echoed by Jody Grimes of Lubec Rental Properties. "I had higher lodging sales this spring than last spring. I have not done the numbers for the summer yet, but it seemed like July was off from last year. However, August was full, as it always is. The fall has slowed down a lot compared to last year for vacation home rentals, but the B&B establishments I have spoken to are still doing a brisk fall business."

Junia Lehman, owner of West Quoddy Gifts, near the entrance to West Quoddy Head State Park, saw some decrease in the number of visitors this year. "There were fewer tour buses and large campers this year; I didn't see a single tour bus stop at our shop. We saw fewer people, but those that came in did spend money like they normally do. Tourists came in mid-July and in August, and we expect to see more tourists this fall." Lehman, who is also president of the West Quoddy Head Light Keeper's Association, says that a special event involving lighthouses in Canada and Downeast saw a good response. "The Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge was a huge success. All rooms in Lubec and on Campobello Island were booked, and all the towns that participated saw a lot of tourists come through. Even Machias and Eastport also benefited from the tourists" that came for the lighthouse event.

Debora Bridges, manager of the West Quoddy Head Visitors Center, says that they saw an average year. This is the seventh season for the visitor center. Last year was the best year, with 20,100 visitors signing the guestbook. Previous years ranged from 17,500 to 18,800. "This year we are running in the middle C three years with fewer visitors and three with more, on average." She adds that "typically our busiest months are July and August. This year follows suit. This July we had our best July ever, due in part to the week-long 200th year of the light celebration held July 19 through 26." The numbers coming to West Quoddy Head Lighthouse help to build traffic in the region, with many visitors coming specifically to see the lighthouses in the area. "Our volunteers promote Lubec and the surrounding areas. Visitors ask about and receive information on West Quoddy Head Light, Head Harbour Light, Lubec Channel Light, Mulholland Light, Little River Light, other Maine lighthouses, the FDR summer cottage, whale watches, puffins, Bay of Fundy tides, ferries, Grand Manan, the Old Sow, Reversing Falls, hiking trails, camping, unique natural features of the area, shopping, galleries, lodging, dining, wildlife, sealife, and hundreds of other topics!"

Ron Pesha, president of Lubec Historical Society, says, "As of September 16, the Lubec Historical Society and Tours of Lubec and Cobscook registered 891 guests. Most of course were from the northeast states and the eastern seaboard, with a total 29 states and five provinces represented from as far west as California and British Columbia. The registry also shows Cork, Ireland, Brescia, Italy, Tokyo, Japan, Brussels, Belgium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Canberra, Australia, the Netherlands, and two parties from both Germany and France."