Written by Julia Pitcher, Global Impact Specialist at Planeterra
Across North America, countless small towns and main streets possess a wealth of unique assets: rich histories, vibrant cultures, and stunning natural landscapes. Yet, many struggle to tap into the tourism economy in a way that is authentic, sustainable, and directly benefits the local community.
Conventional tourism models often overlook them, and when they do get attention, it’s rarely on their own terms.
That’s what we set out to change through a recent pilot project in Maine. Funded by the Maine Development Foundation through the Maine Office of Tourism and in partnership with Main Street Maine organizations, Planeterra collaborated with five towns—Biddeford, Saco, Westbrook, Gardiner, and Rockland—to build market-ready Community Tourism experiences from scratch.
This project was more than an exercise in tour creation; it was a real-world test of what a Community Tourism development model could look like in a North American context.
The Foundation: A Co-Creation Methodology
The success of any Community Tourism initiative hinges on its foundation. Our model intentionally rejected a top-down approach where an outside expert prescribes a solution. Instead, it is built on a framework of intensive co-creation.
The process began with a series of workshops in each town, bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders—not just business owners, but also local historians, artists, environmental advocates, and community leaders.
The first step was collaborative asset mapping, where community members themselves identified the stories, places, and people that make their town unique. This wasn’t about what an outsider might find interesting, but what the community itself held dear.
From this foundation, we worked with a core group in each town to design a specific tourism experience that leveraged a key asset to meet a specific community goal.
This process was iterative, involving everything from narrative development and route planning to pricing strategy and operational logistics. The goal was to build local capacity at every stage, ensuring the community had the skills and confidence to own and operate the experience long after our direct involvement ended.
The Results: Five Towns, Five Unique Solutions
This flexible, community-driven framework did not produce a one-size-fits-all product. Instead, it yielded five distinct experiences, each tailored to the unique character and goals of the town. Here’s how community tourism came to life across Maine:
Saco: Saco leveraged its identity as a historic mill town to create an experience focused on the river that built both it and neighbouring Biddeford.
The “Below the Falls” walk guides visitors through the estuary’s rich history and ecology, with all revenue funding science camps for local kids—a direct investment in the next generation of environmental stewards.
Biddeford: Known for its industrial past, Biddeford’s decade-long economic and cultural revival presented a new challenge: how to broaden the story of its renewal to fully honour the city’s diverse immigrant history and continuation.
The community answered with the “Homecomings” tour, an experience centred on the journeys of the BIPOC and immigrant entrepreneurs shaping the city today.
The result is a tour that gives visitors a richer, more complete understanding of Biddeford, while directly supporting the vital cultural anchors—like Maria’s Grocery—that are central to its ongoing story.
Gardiner: In Gardiner, community tourism became a tool to showcase a town built on welcome and inclusion. On the “Voices of Gardiner” audio tour, artists with disabilities from the Spindleworks studio are the guides.
They introduce visitors to their town by sharing conversations they’ve had with other creatives and entrepreneurs along Main Street.
The result is a rich tapestry of stories about art and belonging, with every donation supporting the Spindleworks studio and celebrating its artists as central voices in Gardiner’s story.
Westbrook: In Westbrook, a unique collaboration of community groups created an experience to celebrate the rewilding of the Presumpscot River. Honouring the wisdom of Chief Polin who stated “we belong to the river,” the “Dusk to Dark” paddle is more than a tour; it’s a mindful practice of connection.
Expert guides share stories of the river’s cultural history and ecological renewal, inviting quiet reflection as visitors paddle from twilight into night. The experience cultivates environmental stewardship, while ticket revenue funds free paddle and grills that make the river accessible to all, strengthening the entire community’s sense of belonging to this vital waterway.
Rockland: On the town’s working waterfront, The Apprenticeshop uses community tourism to celebrate not just a traditional craft, but a vital philosophy. On the “Journey Through Wooden Boats,” visitors experience this philosophy in action, learning how engaging the head, hands, and heart in the art of boatbuilding fosters the self-reliance needed to create a stronger community.
Nearly half of all ticket revenue goes towards directly funding the hands-on programs that pass these essential skills and values on to future generations.
Real-World Hurdles: Navigating the Challenges
This work is not without its difficulties. A grounded model must acknowledge the challenges. We encountered several that are likely common in similar communities:
✅ Varying Tourism Readiness: Each town began at a different stage, with some having more established tourism infrastructure than others.
✅ Capacity and Resource Limitations: The local Main Street organizations and non-profits are often staffed by small, passionate teams wearing many hats. Dedicating time to a new enterprise is a significant challenge.
✅ Stakeholder Coordination: Bringing together diverse voices is a strength, but it also requires significant effort to align priorities, build consensus, and break down the barriers to engagement of key stakeholders.
Key Learnings for a Replicable Model
Navigating these challenges provided critical lessons that are central to the model’s success:
- The Importance of Local Champions: In every town, the project was driven forward by a few dedicated individuals. Identifying and supporting these local champions with the time, resources and tools they need is perhaps the single most important factor.
- Flexibility is Non-Negotiable: Rigid timelines and one-size-fits-all deliverables do not work. The model must be flexible enough to adapt to each community’s pace and specific circumstances. Alternatively, the selection of participating communities should first assess their “readiness” to dive into Community Tourism development.
- Partnerships are Power: The most innovative experiences, like the one in Rockland, came from new collaborations between different community entities (a non-profit and a for-profit sailing company). Fostering these types of cross-sector partnerships is key for efficient delivery and giving the diverse participants the chance to focus on the skills and value they are best aligned to provide.
- Mentorship is a Must: The initial setup is just the beginning. Ongoing mentorship and support are crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability and success of these new community enterprises, particularly when focusing on the FIT market.
A Framework for the Future
The Maine project demonstrates that it is possible for small North American towns to create authentic, market-ready tourism experiences that reflect their values and meet their goals.
The model, founded on co-creation, powered by local champions, and focused on leveraging unique assets, is not a rigid prescription, but a flexible framework. It offers a pathway for communities to build a more resilient, diversified economy and a deeper sense of local pride, all on their own terms.
Learn more about each of the 5 experiences created here.
In the Media
Discover what the media is saying about this project:
- Tourism marketing effort will focus on Maine’s downtowns and local attractions – Maine Biz
- Community Tourism Projects Launch in Five Historic Maine Communities – Fox22 WFVX Bangor
- New community-led tourism initiative goes “beyond the guidebook” – Green & Healthy Maine
- Walking tour offers a taste of Biddeford – Saco Bay News
- Work by artists with developmental disabilities may bring visitors to downtown Gardiner – Spectrum News
- Sail a Boat, Build a Boat – Midcoast Villager
- Capshore Photography
- Maine Tourism Association Journey Through Wooden Boats Instagram Reel
- Dusk to Dark: A Paddle on the Presumpscot River in Westbrook, Maine – 94.9 WHOM
- Westbrook to host “Paddle the Presumpscot” canoeing trips this summer – Portland Press Herald
Good Work Foundation – Hazyview, South Africa
