In 2016, Vacation Rentals accounted for about 7% of the Tourism Dollars coming into the state of Maine through Lodging, Meals, Retail, Activities, Sales/Lodging/Meals Taxes. Monetary Statistical Information is from the 2016 Maine Tourism Report. In addition to the direct dollars, there are also the trickle-down dollars spent by property owners when they are here for their enjoyment as well as money spent on property taxes, improvements, etc. This also is a considerable amount of money, but, harder to measure.
- Traditional Vacation Rentals in 2016 accounted for approximately 7% ($420 Million) of the Tourism dollars that come into the state
- Vacation Rentals paid over $11.5 million in Sales Tax
- Employs 14000+/- people
- State Tourism Report for 2016 cites that the average stay was 3 nights (down from 5 in 2014)
- Provides income to property owners who otherwise might have to sell their treasured family cottage or second home
- Supports over 100 vacation rental businesses
- Typically rent for 7 nights in July and August but may rent for shorter periods in the Spring, Fall and Winter when visitors only come for a few days to view the foliage, ski, pick apples, etc. but want their own place to stay.
- Professional Vacation Rental Managers ensure their properties meet basic Life/Safety standards. We all have additional safety requirements that we enforce as professionals and without government oversight.
- Vacation Rentals are different from other types of lodging in that we rent a whole house, apartment, condo, cottage, etc. to a group comprised of family and/or friends who all know each other and are here for a common purpose. We do not rent out parts of a property to people who are strangers to one another; nor do we serve meals. All meals are cooked by the renters themselves rather than offered by management as part of the lodging fee. Cottages are Self Catering.
Although the Maine Office of Tourism has continued to publish annual reports, changes to how data is collected and reported have made it more challenging to understand the impacts made specifically by vacation and short-term rentals.