Centennial celebration O.W. Landergren, a metal spinning business in Pittsfield, that has made parts for the International Space Station, is marking its 100th anniversary. Page 5
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Berkshire Business Journal OCTOBER 2023 | VOL. 2, NO. 10
Fall tourism
Once considered a complement to the traditionally strong summer season, fall tourism in the Berkshires is beginning to pick up
GILLIAN JONES-HECK
People stand around a fire and roast marshmallows at last year’s RambleFest at the Adams Visitor Center. The annual RambleFest event is one of the signature features of the Berkshire fall season. BY JIM THERRIEN PITTSFIELD — The Berkshires have long
been known for their beautiful scenery, especially in autumn when the leaves turn the county into a cornucopla of color. Those brilliant hues of red, orange and yellow have long lured visitors to the Berkshires, but not at the same level as in the summer when the county’s various and diverse cultural organizations are all operating at full throttle. But fall tourism in the Berkshires is becoming more popular. According to 1Berkshire President and CEO Jonathan Butler, fall tourism in the Berkshires had been steadily gaining on the peak summer months of July and August until COVID-19 hit three years ago. This year a resurgence is possible. The
fall tourism season in the Berkshires is poised to continue its climb from the pandemic nadir of 2020 — especially if the weather cooperates. Butler expects that growth trend to continue this year although he’s keeping his fingers crossed that the weather is drier than it was in the Berkshires this summer. Dry weather enhances the important component of any local autumn — New England’s world famous fall foliage. “Historically, the fall is a little different from the summer because the nature of things to do shifts a little bit,” Butler said. “There is still a performing arts presence in the fall, although it isn’t the robust schedule that we see in the summer, anchored by Tanglewood and Jacob’s Pillow and theater festivals. “Yet, there is still a fair amount to do,”
he said. “You know the fall is a big season for the visual arts, our museums, our historical sights — they’re seeing some of their best traffic in the fall. It’s definitely a robust time of the year.” According to Butler, 2020 “was really the only year we were significantly impacted in overall visitor activity. In 2021, we saw the visitor numbers jump back to about the 2019 numbers ... In 2022, we had an increase over 2019 of about 8 percent.” Referring to what are known in the Berkshires as the spring and fall “shoulder seasons,” Butler said, “we’ve seen increased activity over the past 10 years, and the expectation is that this year will be consistent with that.” The fall tourist season isn’t as lucrative as the summer. “There is a drop-off after Labor Day,”
Butler said, referring to the amount of tourist-related dollars that flow into the Berkshire in the fall. “But it’s not as steep a decline as in past years.” With more day trippers viewing foliage and museums, hiking, attending fall outdoor festivals or local theater productions and dining out, “it’s a shift, really,” Butler said The average lodging stay during the fall shifts from three to four nights to one to two nights, he said, and the financial impact “probably drops off about 15 percent over peak season in July and August.” Although more cultural events take place in the Berkshires in the fall now than they did 20 years ago, an increased interest in outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking has also helped lure more FALL TOURISM, Page 14