By GUY C. DENECHAUD

Fall may very well be Vermont’s most popular season with vacationers. Its famed colorful foliage, most prominent in October, has helped to earn that distinction, but there are many events accompanied by great weather that also enhance the state’s appeal.

Despite record high fuel costs and the specter of the financial crisis, Vermont’s fall season enjoyed a strong October during 2008, although September and November were a bit softer than normal, according to statistics from the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.

Now that the economy appears a bit more stable, businesses throughout the state are looking toward a strong 2009 for tourism. Early indications at top area inns and resorts, such as the Woodstock Inn & Resort, are on target for fall.

“It looks as if booking early for fall is still key, even though many people are lulled into the sense they can book over the Internet and find accommodations of their choosing,” said Jim Mangin, sales manager for the Woodstock Inn & Resort.

National research indicates most American households still are planning vacation travel, but many will stay closer to home than they might have otherwise due to economic concerns, according to Gregory Gerdel, research and operations chief for the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing.

“While Vermont has the geographic advantage of being within a day’s drive of 80 million people, we are seeing a decline of about 21 percent in requests for vacation planning packets for the fiscal year to date,” Gerdel said.

“States and resorts that are predominantly fly destinations are seeing a decline in inquiries of 30 to 40 percent. Of course, some of that follows the steady decline in the number of requests for brochures, as people do more and more of their travel planning online,” Gerdel said.

More than most states, tourism in the Green Mountain State is impacted strongly by the fluctuations in the value of the Canadian versus the U.S. dollar, he said. While this boosted figures through 2007 and well into 2008, a less favorable exchange rate for Canadians played a part in the softer figures late last year.

“In looking forward to fall visitation for Vermont, it is encouraging that the proportion of packet requests and visits to VermontVacation.com from key distant domestic markets is comparable to previous years,” said Gerdel.

“The primary distant domestic sources of visitors are Texas, Florida, California and Illinois. Inquiries and Web visits by Texans considering fall visits have remained surprisingly strong.”

Tourist dollars are important to the economy here, and the figures are impressive.

The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing reported that in 2007, there were roughly 14.3 million individual trips made to Vermont for leisure, business or personal travel, with 23.2 percent of those trips made during the fall.

With the average amount spent at more than $100 per person, the economic impact is substantial. According to the most recent figures available, more than 25 percent of the $1.6 billion total was spent on food and beverages, with nearly 20 percent for lodging and slightly less than that for gasoline. Groceries, general shopping, recreation and transportation in the state absorbed the bulk of the extra dollars.

“The statistics indicate that some of our business sectors, such as retail and dining, are two- to three-times more dependent upon visitor spending than the national average,” Gerdel said.

He added the figures indicate that about 12 percent of all jobs in Vermont, or about 37,490, are supported by tourist dollars. Of the 37,490 jobs this represents, nearly 20,000 were direct wage and salary jobs; approximately 10,000 were indirect wage and salary jobs; and the remainder supported proprietors in the industry.

Taxes and fees generated from visitor spending also were considerable. Of the approximately $207 million generated during 2007, more than $107 million went into the general fund; $83 million went into the education fund; and more than $16 million wound up in the transportation fund.

The Vermont Chamber’s vacation guide includes a family fun section that mentions the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) in Quechee and the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, as well as pick-your-own produce orchards in Springfield and Putney.

Special high-profile events boost tourist activity year-round. In September, two events on the Vermont Vacation Guide’s Top Ten list will take place in the Upper Valley region: the Tunbridge World’s Fair from September 17 to 20, and the 17th annual New World Festival at the Chandler Music Hall September 6. Both events also made the Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s annual list of the Top 10 fall events.

The list also included the 5th annual Plymouth Folk & Blues Concerts in Plymouth Notch September 5 and 6; the South End Art Hop in Burlington September 11-12; the annual Northeast Open Atlatl Competition & Flint Knap in Addison September 18-20; the Vermont Life Wine & Harvest Festival in Wilmington September 25-27; the 17th annual Hildene Fall Arts Festival in Manchester October 2-4; Moondance in Windsor on October 9; the Great Pumpkin Challenge in Bennington on October 24; and the Haunted Forest held the last two weekends in October in Williston.

“We often advise visitors to plan on staying an extra day or two, for there is just so much to do here in the fall,” Mangin, of the Woodstock Inn and Resort, said. ?