Are leaf-peepers bypassing R.I.?

PRETTY AS A PICTURE: While Rhode Island does not have a travel-industry reputation for vibrant fall foliage, this photo of Nonquit Pond in Tiverton from last October shows it has autumn beauty to match New England neighbors. / PBN PHOTO/BUTCH LOMBARDI
PRETTY AS A PICTURE: While Rhode Island does not have a travel-industry reputation for vibrant fall foliage, this photo of Nonquit Pond in Tiverton from last October shows it has autumn beauty to match New England neighbors. / PBN PHOTO/BUTCH LOMBARDI

(Updated, Oct. 1, 11:51 a.m.)

September typically begins a strong fall tourism season, from Newport to Providence and the Blackstone Valley, say local tourism leaders. But even though the Ocean State also has plenty of woodlands, hills and scenic routes, fall-foliage tours are not part of the draw here the way they are in other New England states.
A 2010 list that continues to draw online attention of the top 25 foliage towns in New England published on yankeefoliage.com, Yankee magazine’s spinoff website, doesn’t include any Rhode Island stops.
Rhode Island is promoted in fall-foliage marketing through the six-state partnership Discover New England, which has representatives in the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, says state Tourism Director Mark Brodeur.
But rather than focusing specifically on the changing leaves as a marketing draw, Rhode Island tourism leaders try to make the most of what the state has to offer through marketing of autumn events, landscapes, and wine and food specialties of the season that encourage visitors to spend their tourism dollars.
“We know New England is branded as the place for fall foliage, and fall is a popular time for international tourists to come here,” Brodeur said. “The international consumer is looking for an ‘authentic’ experience. That’s what Rhode Island offers them in the fall with the foliage, typical New England inns or bed-and-breakfasts, specialties like clam cakes and chowder, and so many great chefs offering all kinds of wonderful, local food.”
The Ocean State is marketed aggressively, but not individually, through Discover New England, he said.
“Rhode Island is promoted as part of a New England trip, and we’re on the itinerary,” said Brodeur. “The average international tourist goes to two-and-a-half states, so it makes sense that they fly into New York or Boston.”
While it would be good to have a foliage stop in Rhode Island, the trend in marketing efforts has been to diversify, rather than narrowly focus on, offerings around the state, such as the emerging wine industry, to lengthen the tourism season, said Brodeur.
Making the multistate marketing collaboration even more critical is that the smallest state has a small state tourism budget and staff, said Brodeur. “Our budget for programming is $400,000, and we’re competing against states like Connecticut and Massachusetts,” said Brodeur.
The staff of three at the R.I. Tourism Division, including Brodeur, was scheduled to be reduced to two by Sept. 20, when a staff member leaving a position isn’t expected to be immediately replaced, as the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, which oversees state tourism, undergoes a review by its new leader, Executive Director Marcel A. Valois, said Brodeur.
That’s why the state’s regional tourism organizations play such key roles in attracting tourists.
The Blackstone Valley Tourism Council offers the one-day, one-time-per-season Fall Foliage and Shopping Train Excursion aboard the Providence and Worcester Railroad that goes into Putnam, Conn., for a pumpkin festival and antiquing, this year set for Oct. 20.
The BVTC also offers foliage viewing from the organization’s boat, the Blackstone Valley Explorer, on Sunday afternoons.
Newport makes the most of the fall season’s heavy influx of cruise ships, motor coaches, wedding parties, convention-goers on daytrips, and fly-and-drive international tourists.
“September and October are two of the most lucrative months for the travel industry in Rhode Island,” said Evan Smith, president and CEO of Discover Newport. Those are the busiest months for cruise ships docking in Newport.
“Let’s face it. Whether we like it or not, we are not branded as the place that has beautiful fall color,” Smith said. “The foliage hunters have that knowledge – that our foliage pales in comparison to places like Vermont and New Hampshire, especially the beautiful color that comes from all the maple leaves. I’ve been in places like Germany or Italy, and every time they pull out a New England catalog, it has a cover with beautiful fall foliage,” said Smith.
Still, many of those international tourists open up their wallets in Newport, and across Rhode Island, during their regional foliage travels.
“The bus tours start farther north and hit at least four states,” said Smith, and many stop in Newport. “The cruise ships stop here, and then go to more northern ports in New England and Canada.” When it comes to foliage-specific tours, Little Rhody has apparently been left off the itineraries of commercial companies.
Pawtucket-based Collette Vacations offers an eight-day Colors of New England tour that does not include a stop in Rhode Island. It begins and ends in Boston and goes to destinations including Vermont’s Quechee Gorge and Woodstock, which it describes as “a quintessential New England village.” The tour includes stops in New Hampshire and Maine.
“I think there are just more scenic landscapes in the states that are on our Colors of New England tour,” said Collette Vacations spokeswoman Maria Fruci.
“When you go to Quechee Gorge and see a 165-foot gorge framed by fall foliage, it’s very dramatic,” said Fruci. “The White Mountains offer spectacular views. I think these are some of the things that resonate with travelers.”
While Collette’s foliage tour doesn’t stop in Rhode Island, the Ocean State is a major stop on the company’s non-foliage tour, Islands of New England. The itinerary starts with three days in Providence, including an excursion to Newport. It used to be a summer tour, but was extended into September and October because of customer demand.
For more regional travelers, Rhode Island is also not on the schedule for commercial, foliage-specific outings.
“It all depends on how you define fall foliage tour,” said David Eaton, general manager of Conway Tours in Cumberland, which offer fall foliage tours to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. “For some people, it’s going to see leaves,” said Eaton. “For others, it’s driving along looking at the leaves in October and stopping for lunch or shopping.”
Hopkins Country Store in Glocester has its busiest months in September and October. Owner Elizabeth Yuill is certain the increased business is at least partly due to people out cruising to see autumn leaves. The store, open since 1809, is a bit of an off-the-beaten-path tourist attraction in its own right, offering penny candy, seasonal décor and mulled cider.
“There are lots of farm stands and there’s plenty of apple picking in the area. It’s a great country drive,” Yuill said. •

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  1. RI has too many small independent and insular tourist promotion agencies sprinkled around the state , none of which have the budget or the clout to do much mass marketing. The result is a fragmented effort that is neither coordinated or cohesive. Though we certainly could not compete on their scale, a look at the CT and MA television ads that flooded our airways this past Summer was humbling.