OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Sea, sun, sand: All three must be present for the optimal beach holiday.

In Old Orchard Beach, the sand and sea are constants ”“ but all three were on tap this past weekend.

It was the long Victoria Day weekend in Canada, as evidenced by the snippets of conversation en Français downtown near The Pier, and in motel parking lots where Quebec licenses plates were much in evidence.

James “Bud” Harmon, Old Orchard Beach’s longtime Chamber of Commerce director, pointed out that this seaside community is just a day’s drive from Quebec, most of Canada’s maritime provinces or New England and New York.

So even though gas prices are high here ”“ and higher north of the border ”“ that is unlikely to be a deciding factor when folks contemplate a trip to Old Orchard Beach.

“We’re a $50 gas tank away,” Harmon said.

In fact, reservations are already up a bit over last year, Harmon said, and with the Canadian dollar at par with U.S. currency, and on some days worth a penny or two more, that makes holidays “in the states” even more inviting, he said.

Harmon said he and others attending a tourism conference Friday in Freeport had been told that statewide, print tourism inquiries are up 40 percent over last year, while Internet inquiries are up 28 percent.

On Saturday, Old Orchard Beach was sparkling. The sun was high in a cloudless sky, temperatures hovered at a pleasant 70 degrees with a slight breeze, and the blue, blue ocean was right there, at the end of Old Orchard Street and along East Grand Avenue.

The beach has drawn tourists to this community for more than 120 years. At the turn of the last century, it was a haven for the Boston Irish, including the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys ”“ Rose Fitzgerald and Joe Kennedy were said to have courted here. During the 1940s, couples danced to the big-name bands at The Pier.

Michael Bouffard, the second generation of his family to operate the 56-room Normandie Inn, said his guests often make reservations one year for the following year. Bouffard was 7 years old when his parents opened the Normandie, and now the young guests who were his contemporaries then are bringing their children and grandchildren to stay.

This Victoria Day weekend, 40 percent of Bouffard’s guests were from Canada, with the remainder from New England and New York.

“Their dollar is strong, it’s an added incentive to come to the beach, and Old Orchard Beach is the closest beach to the Quebec border,” Bouffard said.

Looking ahead, Bouffard said his reservations are up for the season and he’s expecting a good year ”“ as long as the weather holds.

Over at Dewey’s, a take-out lunch spot on Old Orchard Street where clam cakes are the specialty, Jane Duhamel agreed with Bouffard’s assessment.

“As long as the weather’s good, we’ll be okay,” she said.

Claire Bureau, who operates the 40-room Royal Anchor Resort with her husband Mark ”“ they took over 11 years ago from Mark’s parents ”“ said business is brisk. The hotel was at full capacity this weekend.

“We’re probably looking at one of the best seasons ever,” she said Saturday afternoon.

Like Bouffard over at the Normandie, the Bureaus have a lot of repeat business ”“ with folks even reserving “their room” from the previous year.

Richard and Pat Graves sat on a bench on the sandy beach Saturday, watching the waves roll gently toward the sand. They vacation in Wells in September, but stopped by Old Orchard Beach, taking a break from a dog show in Scarborough where they were to show their golden retriever, Jake, later in the day. Jake had taken second place in his class the previous day.

“We’re sitting in the sun a bit,” said Pat Graves.

Marianne Powers of Easton, Mass. was visiting her son, Dennis Shores, for the weekend. Taking in the air on Old Orchard Street Saturday, watching folks strolling by, she said she’ll return later in the summer for a week-long vacation.

Normand Vignola and Jo-Ann Dionne, who live in Quebec City, have vacationed in Maine the past seven years, staying in Ogunquit, Wells and Old Orchard Beach.

Why?

“The beach,” grinned Vignola as he, daughter Mae-li Vignola and Dionne took a break on a park bench separated from the beach by a hedge of fragrant rugosa roses Saturday morning. “We like the environment.”

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, Ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.