County snowmobiling promoted

    FREMONT, N.H. — The snow may be a short time away, but that doesn’t mean the Aroostook County Tourism (ACT) committee isn’t hard at work promoting snowmobiling and trail network to potential tourists.
    Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) employees Leslie Jackson, Stacy Moir and Ryan Pelletier traveled to New Hampshire over the Columbus Day weekend to promote Aroostook’s snowmobile industry at the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association Grass Drags and Watercross (snowmobile racing across water) — an event that brings together roughly 45,000 snowmobile devotees from all over the Northeast.
    “I could not believe the number of snow sled enthusiasts that were so excited to show us all the trails in northern Maine that they frequent every winter,” said Moir. “It was just simply amazing.”
    The three-day experience featured snowmobile drag races and the always-popular watercross, but besides the racing there were vendors, fair foods and various organizations hoping to lure tourists to their particular regions. Some of the best publicity for northern Maine came from word-of-mouth of those who have experienced the region.
    “One thing we heard over and over again — Aroostook truly has the best maintained trail system in the entire northeast! And the hospitality is simply the best in the industry,” Pelletier said.
    Visitors to the booth could find the latest snowmobile trail maps, the Aroostook County Visitor’s Guide, photographs and more; the latest promotional video highlighting Aroostook’s snowmobile trails was also available to view.
    Jackson, the regional tourism director for NMDC, said ACT has been attending the New Hampshire Grass Drags for three years and the event and Aroostook County’s presence has grown each year. The booth this year also included representatives from three businesses from the region, which cater to snowmobilers.
    “It’s so important for us to get out there and go to events and shows,” said Jackson. “We don’t necessarily have to go to the same ones each year, but I don’t want to think what would happen if we don’t attend.”
    Later this month, ACT will have an exhibit at the 2012 Maine Snowmobile Show in Augusta and a presence at an event in Pennsylvania.
    Aroostook County has recently been named one of the top five destinations in the East and the nation in the most recent issues of SnowGoer and American Snowmobiler magazines.
    It is estimated snowmobiling in Maine is a $300 million to $350 million business responsible for 23,000 jobs statewide.