The tourist season opened over the Memorial Day weekend with local and state tourism officials crossing their fingers that their strategies for drawing visitors will work.

The local effort offers regular features such as Friday Night Art Walks with performing venues on five sidewalk areas that will be painted black. Special weekend events include the Maine Celtic Celebration and National BoatBuilding Challenge in addition to numerous other activities, most of them taking place downtown.

State Office of Tourism Director Pat Eltman said her office targeted Canadians and New Englanders for this season’s ad blitz.

The strong Canadian dollar now trades near par value at a dollar-for-a-dollar against a weaker U.S. dollar, making the U.S. more attractive to Canadian tourists for the last year-and-a-half than it has been in decades.

“We kicked up advertising a notch in Canada, offering two-nation vacation packages with New Brunswick this year,” Eltman said last week. “We also advertise “Staycations” for Mainers. Look at the jewels we have here.”

Maine officials traveled to Quebec province last winter, New Brunswick more recently and will go to Nova Scotia next, she said.

Everyone is a “cautious shopper” during economic slumps, but Eltman said Maine has been hurt more by inclement weather than it has by high gas prices in the past.

Last year 41.8 million people visited Maine, most from New York, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, with New England providing the largest number of visitors.

She said Maine beefed up commuter advertising in train and bus stations.

Back in Belfast, officials hope an array of events will draw tourists and area residents to the city.

Friday Night Art Walks will begin the first Friday of June, after five sections of downtown sidewalks are painted black to act as stages for live performances, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Singers, musicians, comedians, dancers and others will perform on the “stages,” sponsored by the Downtown Galleries and organized by the Belfast Arts Council, according to City Manager Joseph Slocum. Performances will be held every Friday in July and August, and the first Friday in June, September, October, November and December.

“We think it will be a great draw for the entire community and continue to mark Belfast as a growing art center,” said Slocum. “Art is good for economic development.”