Understanding the Fall Tourism Market

Abstract

This study investigated (1) whether the characteristics of fall tourists differ from those of summer tourists, (2) whether fall color viewing is as important a tourism motivator as is commonly assumed, (3) whether different types of tourists travel during different por tions of the season, and (4) whether fall tourists can be usefully segmented based on the combinations of recreation activities in which they participated. Data were obtained from intercept surveys conducted during the summer and fall of 1984 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The study indicates that the summer and fall markets are distinct; that from a marketing perspective the fall season is really a succession of subseasons; and that the fall market is not homogeneous in character. Fall tourism marketing, to be successful, requires a deliberate, targeted, and carefully timed strategy, as opposed to the mere extension of a summer campaign.