By Nate Jones

Staff Writer 

Cars lined up along Long Sands Beach in Kennebunk as temperatures reached the high 70s last week. Visitors from Kennebunk and nearby towns gathered to walk, play, surf and sunbathe in the unseasonably warm temperatures before the recent weather pattern dampened the ground and local spirits. 

Last week, Kennebunk resident Seth Fenn braved the chilly waves with a wetsuit and a surfboard.  

“It was just a perfect day with the wind and there are some pretty good waves,” he said. “I just took the day off.”

Long-time Kennbunk residents Nancy and Jim McGuire said they hadn’t seen such warm weather in April in the 13 years they had been visiting the beach. 

“This week has been just fantastic,” Nancy McGuire said. 

Kennebunk and Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce Director of Marketing and Membership Karen Duddy said the weather “has turned on a light switch” for the local tourist industry.

“All of a sudden there’s traffic coming through here and people want to know about places to stay, things to do and where to visit,” she said. “It’s a much welcome jumpstart to the season after a really long and difficult winter.”

Maine Tourism Office Director of Marketing Steve Lyons said the summer-like influx of tourists last month was an indication of what could be a busy upcoming tourist season, which is to be expected after such a harsh winter. 

“People are looking for the warmer weather,” he said. “They’re really anxious to fight cabin fever this year.”

Businesses were fortunate to have such nice weather fall on a vacation week, Duddy said. At a time when most are preparing for the Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of tourist season along the Maine coastline, the sudden demand for service has those in the tourist industry open early.

“You have to start to get ready now,” she said. 

Duddy said she was confident Kennebunk and Kennebunkport would continue to be a destination for tourists this summer despite the rising cost of traveling. 

“We’re only 90 minutes from Boston and five hours from New York,” she said. “We’re poised in a good position.”

Lyons said lodging and accommodations business owners throughout the state have reported an increase in pre-season booking from last year, from both local and foreign tourists. 

“We’re going to see more international travelers as long as the U.S. dollar continues to decline,” he said.

Although the price of oil has nearly doubled in the past three years, Duddy said the tourism industry has remained strong.

“You still see the license plates from [out of state],” she said. “We’d all like it if gas prices were normal, but let’s turn a negative into a positive.”

Lyons said he believed weather was the primary factor in attracting tourists to the area. Most people will overlook high gas prices as long as the sun is shining, he said. 

“Maine is a ‘drive-to’ rather than a ‘fly-to’ destination,” Lyons said. “Chances are you’re not going to drive a few hours to sit in the rain.”

Despite the promising surge of this spring and positive reports from business owners, Lyons said he wasn’t sure how much longer people would be able to justify the expense of extended travel.

“At some point, and I don’t know what that point is, we will reach a level where people say ‘Well, let’s stay closer to home,’” he said.