Memorial Day may be the unofficial start of Maine’s tourist season, but data from the Maine Turnpike Authority shows a lackluster turnout over the holiday weekend.

The authority recorded 941,654 transactions at toll plazas throughout the state over the four-day period from Friday, May 27 through Monday, May 30. That number is nearly 1,000 transactions smaller than the 942,620 recorded over the same period in 2021, according to authority data.

The numbers fly in the face of predictions by officials just before the weekend that this year would show record turnout, according to an article from our partner the Portland Press-Herald.

Officials told the paper that despite skyrocketing gas prices, tourism is still rebounding after the coronavirus pandemic.