Document Type

Report

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Publication Date

2-2020

Abstract/ Summary

Snowmobiling has been a popular winter pastime in Maine for decades. During the 2018-2019 snowmobiling season, nearly 60,000 snowmobiles were registered in Maine by resident snowmobilers, and over 25,000 snowmobiles were registered by non-residents. Since the 1998 report An Economic Evaluation of Snowmobiling in Maine, overall registrations have increased, and registrations among non-residents have more than doubled.

There has been no comprehensive evaluation of snowmobiling in Maine since the 1998 report completed by the University of Maine in collaboration with the Maine Snowmobile Association and State of Maine Snowmobile Program. In order to update the information on snowmobiling related expenditures, the sociodemographic characteristics of snowmobilers in Maine, and the opinions of Maine snowmobilers on snowmobiling tourism infrastructure and issues related to snowmobiling in Maine today, a new study was commissioned by the State of Maine Snowmobile Program and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry through the University of Maine’s School of Forest Resources. The results are contained in this report.

The results conclude that snowmobiling generated $459 million in direct spending across many sectors during the 2018-2019 season. Accounting for indirect and induced economic activity, the contribution of snowmobiling to Maine’s economy was over $606 million. Snowmobiling generates a significant amount of spending during the winter in Maine, especially in the rural areas which benefit from snowmobiling activity. Snowmobile related spending also directly supports 2,279 jobs in the state of Maine and indirect and induced effects of the spending support an additional 1,060 jobs.

Trip-related spending accounts for approximately $209.5 million or about 46% of the total direct spending for the 2018-2019 season. Trip-related expenditures include but are not limited to, gas/oil for a snowmobile, gas/oil for a tow vehicle, restaurant purchase, souvenirs, clothing purchased during the trip, and overnight accommodations. The greatest amount of direct spending in a single category was snowmobile purchases, which generated approximately $132 million in direct spending

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pre-print (i.e. pre-refereeing)

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