An Industry Rises Up To Serve Leaf Peepers
The travel companies love to quote Thoreau for his quote about autumnal tints when they try to write brochures to appeal to leaf peepers – tourists who travel to marvel at the brilliant show of color that nature comes up with as its last hurrah before shutting down for winter every year.
Foliage tourism is big business in America. Each one of the New England states attracts about half a billion worth of tourism from the leaf peepers every year. At least they did before the recession took hold. More and more states now are beginning to take note of how great business can be in this area. States like Texas and Alabama – not your usual fall color places – are happy to announce their own foliage tourism programs these days.
Of course, it’s hardly a great idea for a business to invest much in a natural phenomenon. One stiff rainstorm could sweep through the place and take all the leaves with it. It would put an end to the foliage season in 10 min. And then, even when these things don’t happen, it’s hardly possible to predict when leaves turn.
Basically, when you go in, you have to be prepared for an extended stay. And you may have to satisfy yourself with a partial vista of colorful trees. Often, you don’t get an absolute sea of reds, yellows and maroons. Often, it’s just patches here and there and you have to be happy with that.
It used to be that state governments would invest quite a lot in trying to accurately predict when the leaves would turn. They would set up websites and phone hotlines passing out foliage updates for leaf peepers planning for trips. There are lots of cuts in these services of these days. And the state parks you go to not be all that clean either.
The innkeepers though, are usually really glad that things are as unpredictable as they are. It means that people can come and stay for longer waiting for the leaves to turn. Of course, this isn’t a good thing for the tourist. Add to this the fact that inn keepers and bed-and-breakfast owners require 30-day cancellations if your plans should change, and it can get kind of expensive.
The thing is though that leaf peeping is a wonderful thing for the way it lets you admire the glory of nature at work. When it becomes a huge tourist industry thing, you’ll find that you see more cars and crowds than actual leaves turning. Which can be kind of a downer.
An Industry Rises Up To Serve Leaf Peepers
An Industry Rises Up To Serve Leaf Peepers
An Industry Rises Up To Serve Leaf Peepers
