As summer approaches, Maine is taking steps to ease tensions and attract Canadian tourists, a crucial economic driver for the state.
KENNEBUNK, Maine — With the tourist season just around the corner, local businesses in Maine are preparing for a potentially rocky summer. Concerns over international trade and cross-border travel with Canada are casting uncertainty over what’s usually the busiest and most profitable time of the year.
On Wednesday, Governor Janet Mills visited Kennebunk to speak directly with business leaders about protecting one of Maine’s key economic engines: tourism.
At the historic Seaside Inn, the oldest continually family-run business in the U.S., Mills sat down with local entrepreneurs who voiced their worries over economic headwinds.
“Everybody doesn’t know what’s going to happen and they’re all a little bit frightened,” said Kenneth Mason, general manager of the Seaside Inn.
Mason said the inn, which has been in his wife’s family since …