A recap of efforts through the fall from the Chamber’s destination marketing arm, Visit North Central Massachusetts (VNCM).

Strategic Marketing Plan Implementation & State Grant Status

As we reported in the Fall edition, Visit North Central Massachusetts completed our comprehensive FY2026 marketing strategy and submitted our annual matching tourism grant request to the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT). We received notification of our grant award amount in late October; however, as of this printing – nearly five months into the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2025- we have not yet received our contract or matching funding.

This delay in contracting and matching funding impacted our marketing efforts during the Fall season. We adapted by covering some advertising costs upfront while awaiting state matching funds and strategically deferring other planned campaigns. Fortunately, our Mass250 grant allowed us to maintain some momentum through active advertising campaigns that helped bridge the gap created by the delay in our regular annual matching grant from the state’s tourism trust fund. We remain committed to making up ground during the Winter months and positioning ourselves strongly for the Spring and Summer tourism seasons.

We appreciate the state’s partnership and look forward to receiving our contract and funding so we can fully execute our marketing efforts that drive economic impact for our member businesses and communities.

Why Tourism Matters to North Central Massachusetts

Tourism is far more than a single industry – it’s a catalyst for community vitality. When you build a place where people want to visit, you’ve built a place where people want to live, work, and invest. Every visitor we attract becomes a potential business lead, future resident, or investor who experiences our region’s unique assets and becomes an ambassador for North Central Massachusetts. This is why our strategic marketing efforts don’t just drive immediate economic impact – they build long-term awareness and prosperity for our communities and members.

Website Performance

For the first four months of fiscal year 2026 (July 1 through October 31, 2025), VisitNorthCentral.com, our tourism affiliate site, attracted 18,683 users (down 68.1% compared to the same period in FY25) and generated 34,275 pageviews (down 63.6% year-over-year). Impressions totaled 1,012,127 (down 22.0% year-over-year). These significant declines directly reflect the impact of delayed state matching funding, which prevented us from launching our planned digital advertising campaigns at the start of the fiscal year. As we receive funding and execute our winter and spring marketing initiatives, we expect to see digital engagement increase.

Social Media Performance

For the first four months of fiscal year 2026 (July 1 through October 31, 2025), we maintained strong organic social media presence, building a community that actively engages with content about regional attractions, events, and member businesses. Our combined social media following across Facebook and Instagram now totals over 49,000 followers.

On Facebook, we achieved impressive results with post impressions of 885,441 (up 137% year-over-year) and a total reach of 45,173 followers (up 9.4% year-over-year). Post reactions increased 56.1% to 2,314, link clicks surged 69.4% to 2,060, and comments nearly doubled with a 93.1% increase to 195. On Instagram, post impressions reached 121,148 (up 85.4% year-over-year) with 3,821 followers (up 19.7% year-over-year). Post shares increased 24.2% to 221. These strong organic social media results demonstrate the effectiveness of our content strategy, even during a period when funding delays limited paid advertising campaigns.

PlayEasy Performance

Through our partnership with PlayEasy, the platform connecting youth and amateur sports organizers with regional venues and hotels, we’ve seen continued engagement in November 2025. The VNCM profile received 981 views with 95 visitors, facility listings generated 1,586 views with 896 visitors, attraction pages received 77 views with 33 visitors, and event listings attracted 1,227 views with 625 visitors. This specialized sports tourism platform continues to create measurable connections between sporting events and our member hospitality businesses.

Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center

The Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center welcomed 11,842 visitors in September and 14,575 visitors in October, bringing the calendar year 2025 total to 105,493 visitors through October 31. These impressive numbers reflect the center’s role as a gateway to our region and a key touchpoint for introducing visitors to member businesses and regional attractions.

Throughout the fall, we hosted our popular Showcase Events series at the Visitor Center—weekend celebrations featuring live music, henna tattoos, apple cider donuts, alpacas, handmade crafts, face painting, and much more. These family-friendly events, which took place on weekends throughout August, September, and October, were well-attended and showcased the rich culture and community spirit of North Central Massachusetts. We thank the local cultural councils in North Central Massachusetts for helping to sponsor these events.

Lodging Performance

According to the latest lodging reports from STR and AirDNA for July through September 2025, the North Central Massachusetts lodging market faced headwinds. For hotels in the region, occupancy was 71.9% (down 4.3% year-over-year), with an average daily rate (ADR) of $164.20 (down 2.2%) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) of $117.98 (down 6.4%). The hotel market generated $14.7 million in revenue, down 6.4% from the prior year.

Short-term rentals in the North Central Massachusetts region showed more positive momentum, with occupancy at 58.0% (down 4.8% year-over-year), but ADR of $130.72 (up 9.4%) and RevPAR of $75.85 (up 4.1%). Regional short-term rentals generated $1.9 million in revenue, representing a 21.5% increase year-over-year.

These trends underscore the importance of our marketing efforts in maintaining visitor engagement and supporting local hospitality businesses during a challenging environment.

Local Option Tax Collections

Local option meals tax collections for July through September 2025 totaled $723,100, up 46.2% year-over-year, while room tax collections reached $799,500, up 13.7% year-over-year. These increases are most likely attributable to several communities adopting local option meals taxes and increasing their room tax rates in 2025, which significantly impact year-over-year comparisons. These tax revenues directly support local government services and we track them as indicators of visitor spending patterns and tourism’s economic impact on our communities.

Visitor Profile

New visitor data from July through September 2025 provides valuable insights into who is visiting North Central Massachusetts. Domestic visitors stayed an average of 1.3 days, with 66.5% staying overnight and 44.5% being repeat visitors. Our top visitor origin states were Massachusetts (15.5%), Connecticut (11.3%), New York (9.7%), and Maine (9.4%). The Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area accounted for 8.1% of visitors, followed by New York-Newark-Jersey City (7.3%) and Providence-Warwick (6.8%).

International visitors from January through September 2025 stayed longer, averaging 2.2 days with 79.6% staying overnight. Canada led international markets at 81.2% overnight rate, followed by Brazil, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. These visitor profiles help us refine our marketing strategies to reach high-value audiences and better align with state tourism priorities.

Looking Ahead

As we head into 2026, we’re focused on executing the marketing plan we developed for FY2026, with particular emphasis on making up ground from the delayed state funding. Our MA250 campaigns continue to deliver results, showcasing the region’s revolutionary history, culinary scene, outdoor recreation, and innovative communities to audiences across New England.

Strategic media partnerships with AAA, Hearst, Boston Magazine, Yankee Magazine, Edible Boston, TripAdvisor, and PlayEasy will amplify our winter and spring campaigns. We’re building on our digital momentum with enhanced content for group travel, sports tourism, and seasonal attractions.

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