Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 D E C E M B E R 9 , 2 0 1 9 An industry that puts heads in beds — and dollars in wallets B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n M aine's hospitality sector contributed an esti- mated $6.9 billion to the state last year, some $4 billion of it in direct sales, according to a study released by HospitalityMaine. Steve Hewins, CEO of the hotel and restaurant trade association, said the study is the first in the state focused solely on the hospitality industry and it aims to bring attention to the contributions of the industry as well as the career opportunities. While the group issued a report last year focused on how many openings there are in the industry, as well as the top-line data on the industry's size in the state, the new study is a much broader view of the industry, including previously unreported information on the type and pay of hospitality jobs and the per- centage of overall sales and employment by county. According to the study, in 2018 the Maine hospitality industry had: A statewide economic impact of $6.9 billion, includ- ing $4 billion in retail sales (restaurants, $2.9 billion; lodging, $1.1 billion) and $702 million in state and local taxes; Employed 59,000 workers (food service and bars, 42,000; accommodations, 12,000) and an addi- tional 20,000 multiplier jobs; Accounted for one in 10 jobs in Maine, and 17% of taxable retail sales; Paid wages of $1.27 billion; Paid "multiplier" wages of $958 million. Cumberland County had the highest industr y employment, with 17,852 workers, as well as the highest taxable sales, $1.18 billion. Hancock County, home of Acadia National Park, had the highest percentage of hospitality workers, 14.7%. HospitalityMaine, which represents more than 1,000 members, commissioned the study, which was done by the University of Maine and researched by pro- fessors Todd Gabe and Andrew Crawley. The analysis is based on data from Maine Revenue Services, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Maine Center for Workforce Research and Information. HospitalityMaine was formed by the merger two years ago of the Maine Restaurant Association and the Maine Innkeepers Association and is a nonprofit trade group that advocates for the indus- tr y, provides resources and aims to strengthen the workforce. B I Z M O N E Y F I L E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Steve Hewins Steve Hewins, CEO , CEO of of HospitalityMaine HospitalityMaine, , which released a which released a study showing the study showing the state's hospitality state's hospitality industry had an industry had an economic impact of economic impact of $6.9 billion last year. $6.9 billion last year.

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