(Freeport is considered part of the Greater Portland area in regard to State of Maine tourism
statistics that consist of data that includes Maine resident as well as non-resident tourist
information.)
o Total day and overnight trips in Maine in 2008 totaled 43.6 million trips
• Day trip market totaled 34.7 million trips (primarily includes residents from Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont)
• Overnight trips totaled 8.9 million visits
o Of the 13.5 million trips to the Greater Portland area, 10.3 million (or 76%) are day trips and 1.8
million (13%) are overnight trips
o 66% of visitors were return visitors: median number of previous visits was 5; for day trippers,
the median number of previous visits is 8
o Breakdown of day trippers
• 43% are Maine residents
• 42% are Boston area residents
• 15% are non-Maine & Boston residents within a day-trip drive area
• 40% of day trips are for shopping purposes (Freeport is the top tourist destination in
Maine, known mostly for it's varied shopping experience.)
o Overnight Market
• 18% from Maine residents (1.6 million)
• 82% (7.3 million) from non-Maine residents
o 61% from non-residents living in the regional market
o 21% from non-residents living outside of the regional market
• 38% of out of state overnight trips are from Massachusetts residents, followed by New
Hampshire (8%), New York (7%), Connecticut (6%), Pennsylvania (5%), California (4%),
Rhode Island (4%), New Jersey (3%), Maryland (2%), Ohio (2%), Vermont (2%), Florida
(2%), Virginia (2%), and Texas (2%)
• Urban sources of overnight trips from out of state residents: Boston (36%), New York
(7%), Hartford/New Haven (6%), Providence/New Bedford (6%), Springfield/Holyoke
(5%), Philadelphia (3%), Burlington (3%), Albany (2%), Los Angeles (2%), and Baltimore
(2%)
• Massachusetts, Maine, and other New England resident overnight trips within the
Greater Portland area are at a higher percentage than for the overall state numbers.
• Of the overnight trips, 61% of the travelers to the area intend to shop, and 34% mention
LL Bean specifically.
Freeport Specific Data
o 49% have come previously during the summer, 83% during the fall, 26% during the winter,
and 32% during the spring
o 84% of tourists arrive in Freeport via private vehicle or RV
o 98% of visitors plan to shop while in Freeport; 55% plan to eat at a table service
restaurant; 46% purchase food over the counter or at a drive-through
o Restaurant expenditures from overnight and day trips totaled $1.7 billion, compared to $1.9
billion in retail expenditures
o 53% had no plans to visit other towns in Southern Maine
o Of those respondents planning to visit other towns in Southern Maine, 41% said that
Freeport was their primary destination
o Of those who said Freeport was not their primary destination, 48% said they stopped to meet
family or friends or to conduct business
o 33% said they had stopped in Freeport en route to vacation in another area of Maine
