Gov. Janet Mills presented Lewiston native Paul Coulombe with the Governor’s Award for Tourism Excellence on March 28.

AUGUSTA — Lewiston native Paul Coulombe recently received the Governor’s Award for Tourism Excellence.

The 2023 honor recognizes Coulombe for his impact on tourism in the Boothbay region, his commitment to his employees’ well-being, and his generous philanthropy.

In presenting the award at this year’s Governor’s Conference, Gov. Janet Mills said, “Paul Coulombe is a UMaine grad, born and raised in Lewiston. As a successful businessman, he could have retired and ridden off in the sunset. But instead, he chose to invest in his home state – from a country club and sports complex in Boothbay to broader economic development in the midcoast to an important expansion of the Maine Medical Center, his generosity and compassion are boundless. We applaud his contributions to tourism and to the economy of our great state.”

According to the Maine Office of Tourism, tourists spent nearly $8.6 billion in 2022, supporting 151,000 jobs and contributing nearly $5.6 billion in earnings to Maine households. Visitors spent 69,769,800 days in Maine throughout 2022, up 10.2% from 2021.