More aggressive promotion of Maine tourism and lobster on an
international scale can open the doors to more diverse economic
activity, a top European diplomat suggested Tuesday.
But Cary, whose organization partnered with Preti Flaherty
to hold the after-lunch talk, said more infrastructure changes must be
Read more: Dutch ambassador to the US talks trade in visit to Portland — Portland — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
Rudolph Simon Bekink, ambassador to the U.S. for the Kingdom
of the Netherlands, told an audience at the Portland office of the law
firm Preti Flaherty on Tuesday afternoon that Maine can still do more to
capitalize on its trademark seafood and vacation offerings on the
international market.
And doing so can introduce influential people to all that
Maine has to offer, he suggested. After all, that’s what brought him
here. Bekink began vacationing in Maine in the 1980s, and now has a
second home in Scarborough, where he plans to retire next year.“It’s so beautiful here,” he said.
“The Dutch are probably the logistics kings of the world in
terms of the import and export business,” said Janine Cary, director of
the Maine International Trade Center. “Even if it starts on the tourism
side or the logistics side, it can expand out into more economic
activity.”
Cary said the Westbrook-based IDEXX Laboratories, one of
Maine’s largest employers, is one example of that. Founder David Shaw
loved Maine and wanted to live here when he established his business,
she said.
While Maine seeks to attract business leaders with its
natural beauty, Bekink said federal, state and city officials should
build up the infrastructure necessary to support their companies should
those people begin thinking of relocating here permanently.
Much progress is being made through the return of container
shipping out of Portland’s International Marine Terminal, where the
Icelandic firm Eimskip has been operating for more than a year now.
Read more: Dutch ambassador to the US talks trade in visit to Portland — Portland — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine
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