Exchange students and Maine's tourism strategy

Who knew exchange students were so key to Maine's tourism strategy? The logic certainly fits. Exchange students are, in some ways, long-term tourists. They insert foreign dollars into Maine's economy. I can only assume they often want to tour the state. Back at the beginning of the legislative session, I blogged about a bill that would allow newly licensed Maine drivers to have foreign exchange students living with their families as passengers in the car. State law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from driving those who are not part of the immediate family without another licensed driver of at least 20 years of age in the car.The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Debra Plowman, R-Hampden, passed the Legislature last month. Today, Gov. John Baldacci hosted a ceremonial bill signing. "This law is meant to help foreign exchange students in our state and their host families," Baldacci said in a statement released by his office. "Our goal is to ensure that exchange students enjoy their stay here, learn a lot, and hopefully come back to visit our state again someday." If the state stands to gain economically, perhaps we'll see more exchange student-friendly measures in the future.