Tourism: Maine the closest US state to Europe offers many attractions and opportunities for European businesses and tourists

Eastport Port as seen from the air

Maine, a favorite summer and autumn vacation spot for US tourist wanting to escape their own hot and humid summers elsewhere in the country, is also becoming more and more of a tourist and business location for Europeans

The new 'Nova Star' ferry service, recently starting its operations between Yarmouth Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada and Portland, Main,  now makes it far easier for European tourists who fly into Halifax and rent a car, to also in include Maine into their itinerary.

Nova Star Cruises said they expect to reach a goal of 100,000 passengers this season.

Another potential tourist booster is the fact that among a dozen or so airports in the US, the state of Maine is sharing  more than $4 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry out various modernization projects, according to reports.

Bangor International Airport reportedly will be getting the biggest share of this grant amounting to $1.4 million mainly to install runway sensors, replace the public address system, improve the taxiway and repave the apron.

This airport modernization project has the potential to eventually turn Bangor airport into a so-called "hub" airport for passengers and freight, providing European and other aircraft a quicker turn-around  time and passengers the possibility to connect with local flights to any US destination,

"Freight handling, warehousing and transportation logistics from Bangor could become a very profitable proposition to foreign freight companies, who presently are faced with high costs and major congestion in the heavily populated, more southern located East Coast areas", say Earl and Carolyn Hamm, Galt Block Warehouse Owners in Bangor,

But there is also good news coming out of Eastport - the closest US Eastern Seaboard port to Europe, This historic Maine coastal town will host a U.S. Navy vessel during the Fourth of July and "Old Home Week".

In the wake of an earlier decision by the Navy to deny the Fourth of July Committee's request for a ship, U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King of Maine announced that the USS Anzio (CG-68) will visit Eastport during the city's Independence Day festivities.

 "The Fourth of July, Old Home Week celebration is an iconic destination for Mainers and visitors alike," they said in a joint release. "We are pleased that the Navy will honor our state with a port visit, allowing those who serve in the U.S. Navy and the citizens they protect an opportunity to come together."

The ship is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, July 3, and depart on Monday, July 7. Two cruise ships are also expected to visit Eastport during the same time period, but the schedule should work so that they can all be accommodated. The 210-passenger Pearl Mist is stopping by on July 2, and the 88-passenger Grande Caribe will visit on July 6 but can dock at the fish pier. The USS Anzio will be at the breakwater.

  "It looks like we've pulled off all three," says Eastport Port Director Chris Gardner of the ability to juggle facilities and host three large vessels during the first week of July.

EU-Digest