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V O L . X X I I N O. V I I A P R I L 4 , 2 0 1 6 20 H O S P I TA L I T Y I N D U S T R Y F O C U S promoting the centennial and fi nding ways to mitigate congestion. Congestion is a major issue and the subject of a long-range transportation plan, due out in 2018 at the earliest. Last summer, snarls of cars, RVs and tour buses atop Cadillac Mountain was so bad at times — with drivers unable to fi nd parking or even to exit the sum- mit — that rangers closed the access road until conditions improved. e park hopes to avoid similar problems this year through social media and the centennial website (acadiacentennial2016.org). e hope is to make visitors aware of options both in the park and in surrounding communities that could reduce peak crowding at Acadia's most popular spots. While still in development, the thought is to develop a "quality visits" section on the centennial website that might feature the purpose and routes of the fare-free bus system called the Island Explorer, the less-used "village connector" trails, community ameni- ties, and boat tour operations that off er sea views of the park. In addition, the working group plans to discuss congestion challenges directly with visitors, through outlets such as newspaper articles, social media messaging, and the park's rov- ing educators called Ridge Runners. "We are eager to do grassroots communication out to visitors, both from here and beyond, encouraging them to appreciate the things they can do in the community that this year will be strongly related to the park," says the centennial task force's Russell. "I think it's useful to suggest to people, particularly people who have been here more than once, that there are many hours when you can enjoy Ocean Drive and the top of Cadillac with no risk of choke-point crowds. Our job is to do what we can with credible and careful and respect- ful communication to visitors." Workforce crunch Since its establishment in 1999, the Island Explorer has proven a key com- ponent in visitor management, reliev- ing a fair amount of traffi c by carrying almost 5.5 million passengers to date and eliminating more than 2 million private vehicle trips, according to estimates. Downeast Transportation, which runs the Explorer, has had a warm- up to the centennial, thanks to jumps in ridership in the past two years. In 2014, ridership increased 12% over 2013. Ridership went up another 6% in 2015, its busiest year to date. Downeast Transportation continues to prepare for greater ridership. "We're trying to recruit more drivers and fi nd a couple of extra buses because, during peak season, everything that we can put on the road, is on the road. And last year, that wasn't quite enough," says General Manager Paul Murphy. "Given that we saw it prior to the centennial year, that might be a trend that exists beyond the centennial. So we're looking at both short- and long-term." To recruit up to 90 seasonal driv- ers, Murphy is calling school systems, southern resorts and even national parks that tend to attract visitors in the winter. He has even advertised in publications geared toward RV vacationers and oth- ers who follow the sun year-round. "It's diffi cult to attract drivers here because our wage is barely competi- tive," Murphy says. " e starting wage is $13.50 an hour this season. And housing costs are very high here in the sum- mer. So if you're trying to attract people who don't live here, it's diffi cult for us to make the equation aff ordable for them." L S , a w r i t e r b a s e d i n B a s s H a r b o r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Financial strength, safety resources, compassionate claims service and dividends are just a few of them. Discover more reasons why we're the Maine choice for workers' compensation by visiting us at memic.com/themainechoice. CHOOSING MEMIC ALL KINDS OF THERE ARE REASONS WHY MORE MAINE EMPLOYERS ARE Ten most visited national parks in 2015 The National Park Service, which cele- brates its centennial this year, logged 307 million visits last year. Here are the leading parks, by visit, including Acadia National Park in Maine. 1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park: 10.7 million 2. Grand Canyon: 5.5 million 3. Rocky Mountain: 4.16 million 4. Yosemite: 4.15 million 5. Yellowstone: 4.1 million 6. Zion: 3.65 million 7. Olympic: 3.3 million 8. Grand Teton: 3.15 million 9. Acadia: 2.8 million 10. Glacier: 2.4 million S O U R C E : National Park Service

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