People Will Spend $3 Billion This Year to Look at Leaves in New England
Ah, fall! Leaves and trees and hiking and shit. All this nature, isn't it lovely? It's so lovely that it has all the colors: from orange to red to green, green like stacked wads of cold, hard cash.
This year's leaf-peeping season (the few weeks in the fall when people with disposable incomes and a tendency toward Thoreauvian romance visit New England to peep at leaves) is expected to be a huge boon for six states up north this year, the AP reports. While tourists pour into Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to check out what's up with photosynthesis, they're expected to bring with them stacks of dough to the tune of $3 billion this year alone.
Via the AP:
The fall season accounts for a quarter of annual tourist spending in Vermont. And with this autumn providing an exceptionally brilliant show, the state is seeing a strong turnout.
"The weather has been excellent this year, and we're expecting a longer season," said Megan Smith, Vermont's commissioner for tourism and marketing. "If we can show these colorful leaves are out, through our website or social media, then people will drive from Montreal. They'll drive here from Boston."
This year's uptick in leaf-related spending is likely due to the warming of the season, meaning leaves are staying on trees for longer, giving eager Instagrammers a chance to get those classic colorful snaps, #nofilter.
[Image via AP]