Liz McKeil Of the Moosehead Marine Museum

Community Destination Academy Piloted in Moosehead Region

The Center launched the Community Destination Academy in the Moosehead Lake region in spring 2018 to help local stakeholders understand emerging travel trends, enhance the area’s destination appeal and capitalize on related economic opportunities.

Working in partnership with the Maine Office of Tourism, Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, and Destination Moosehead Lake, the Center convened two dozen business, non-profit, and municipal leaders for four days of training workshops. The CDA addressed “experience development,” destination marketing, financing and grant writing, and strategies for working together as a team.

Following the skills workshops, the CDA program provided participants with matching funds to invest in community destination development projects.

The renovated boardwalk along Moosehead Lake in Greenville, Maine. — Moosehead Lake from Greenville, Maine.

Community Projects

One of the projects funded involved replacing the popular lakeside boardwalk in Greenville, which had long needed repair. With financial support from the CDA, the town purchased the lumber and volunteers pitched in for a series of “boardwalk raising days.” The final product was a more attractive and safer boardwalk to give visitors close-up views of Moosehead Lake while they strolled through downtown Greenville.

The second project involved connecting the organizers of 10 local events to coordinate calendars and produce a set of shared promotional materials – for the first time ever – to boost event attendance and related economic benefits.

Since the CDA program wrapped up, the Center and Maine Office of Tourism have continued to work together to support local destination development and marketing activities in the Moosehead Lake region, with projects including a series of programs produced by Explore New England that showed on NESN; a renewed digital marketing effort by Destination Moosehead Lake; and ongoing organizational development support to help Destination Moosehead Lake sustain and expand long-term regional marketed activities.