The Maine Office of Tourism has joined forces with Calm, the sleep and meditation app, to launch a collection of audio experiences built around the state’s forests, lakes and coastline, in a sign of how central wellness has become to destination marketing.
The collection, titled Forged by Nature: The Mindful Magic of Maine, features meditations, soundscapes, a Sleep Story and a Breathe Bubble breathing exercise, all rooted in real locations across the northeastern US state. For UK business travellers weighing up where to decompress after meetings on America’s East Coast, it amounts to a polished audition for Maine as a recovery destination, one that can be sampled from a seat on the way home.
From sleep stories to harbour soundscapes
The content spans some of Maine’s best-known wild places. A narrated Sleep Story guides listeners through the Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden, while a two-part meditation series visualises scenes in the North Maine Woods and on the shores of Lubec, along the state’s Bold Coast. Two soundscapes immerse listeners in Katahdin Woods and Waters and in a harbour on the midcoast, and a Breathe Bubble exercise centres on a canoe trip in Baxter State Park.
“In Maine, nature is not simply a backdrop – it is a core element of our daily life and our sense of self. When visitors come to Maine, they too feel a deep emotional and physical connection with our landscape, and that brings a sense of renewal,” said Carolann Ouellette, Director of the Maine Office of Tourism. “Our partnership with Calm is the perfect opportunity to share how Maine’s landscape invites reflection and reconnection, and we hope users can visualize themselves visiting these cherished places.”
Escape now tops the list of visitor motivations
The partnership follows research the Maine Office of Tourism began in autumn 2025, when it started asking visitors what motivated their trips. More than 50 per cent of autumn visitors said their main reason for choosing Maine was escape, relaxation and a break from everyday stress.
Calm sees the deal as an extension of its existing nature content. “Millions of people turn to Calm to decompress, using our nature sounds to escape into the beauty of the outdoors, even right from home,” said Fergal Walker, VP of Partnerships at Calm. “Partnering with the Maine Office of Tourism allows us to expand this library and help even more people find calm through the serene sounds and landscapes Maine has to offer.”
Why it matters for UK business travellers
The tie-up lands as wellness moves up the corporate travel agenda. Recovery time is increasingly built into trips rather than bolted on, with 60 per cent of UK workers now extending business trips into holidays, and destinations from the Alps to the Gulf competing with dedicated wellness experiences aimed at frazzled professionals.
For travellers with meetings in Boston or New York, Maine is a workable add-on rather than a separate holiday, much like the Hudson Valley escapes gaining traction with UK visitors further south. The state clearly hopes that a soundscape sampled at 35,000 feet becomes a booking later on.
The Forged by Nature collection is available now in the Calm app, with details on Calm’s official blog.
