Visit North Central Massachusetts Update

  • Visit North Central

Fall is historically one of the most important seasons in North Central Massachusetts. The region’s agricultural roots, natural outdoor amenities and beautiful foliage combine to make this one of our peak seasons for visitors and groups.

Recognizing the economic impact and competition for visitor dollars, Visit North Central Massachusetts worked hard to showcase the region and attract visitors. We utilized an assorted mix of strong content, social media and digital and print advertising during the season. VisitNorthCentral.com saw strong traffic, with visitors increasing by 91% compared to the Fall of 2020 (and a 101% increase compared to 2019) and page views increasing by 109% (78% increase compared to 2019). The Visit North Central Massachusetts’ Facebook page had 315,938 impressions from September to November and over 46,115 engagements, which represents a 34% increase over the same period the previous year. Independent data sources that we use to track visitation shows that the region saw a 44% increase in visitors in the month of September compared to 2020 and an 8% increase over the same time period in 2019 (Data not available for months of October and November). Lodging data also indicates continued recovery for the region from the pandemic. The Fall months saw very strong increases in occupancy rates, revenue per room (RevPar), average daily rate (ADR), room availability and rooms sold. Hotel occupancy for YTD through September was 58.9%, a 21.4% increase over the previous year. ADR increased through the season by 2.7%. Room availability was up 16.3%, RevPar was up 24.7%, total room revenue was up 45% and rooms sold was up 41.2% for YTD through September.

In other news, two new Taste of North Central videos also premiered during the quarter on our social media channels, showcasing Hollis Hill Farm in Fitchburg and Plain View Farm in Hubbardston.  Our annual Appleseed Country Fair hosted over 6,000 visitors during Labor Day Weekend. Families from throughout Massachusetts and New England travelled to North Central Massachusetts for the full experience of family-friendly Fall fun. Visit North Central Massachusetts was also proud to partner with the Phillipston and Athol Firefighter Associations on the event and raised over $10,800 to support first responders.

We are slowly making progress with some of the planned improvements to the  Johnny Appleseed Visitors Center on Route 2. We hope to have the renovations completed by the Spring. Our vision is to not only operate the best visitor center in the state, but to also transform the center into a destination that provides an engaging experience and encourages visitors to learn more about the region’s communities, local attractions and businesses. Stay tuned for more details.

With Fall behind us, we now shift gears to promoting awareness and visitation to North Central Massachusetts during the Winter season