FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — Lots of people from the Phoenix area are heading up to the High Country this weekend to see some fall colors and enjoy the cooler temperatures.
Fall tourism is crucial to the Flagstaff economy, but downtown business owners are telling us this year they’re hurting.
It’s the favorite time of the year for many locals and visitors since downtown looks like it’s straight out of a storybook with beautiful fall colors.
Nick Jones, the owner of Freaky Foot Tours in Flagstaff, said fall tourism is usually huge with people coming for cool weather and fall colors. “Walking around, kind of breathing the cool, bracing air in,” Jones said.
However, they’ve been noticing a different trend this year: fewer tourists. “We definitely still have seen like an increase this October, but it’s a lot more muted than it has been in the last,” Jones said.
He said this has been a year-round issue, and there’s been a big drop in international tourism.
“A little bit more than 10% reduction in total tourists who have come through Flagstaff,” Jones said. “About a fourth of the people who went on our tours were international tourists, and I would say that’s down to like 6 or 7%.”
He’s worried about the long-term effects this will have on business and Flagstaff as a whole.
“It’s impacting the town’s economy cause I mean a lot of local businesses don’t have 10% margin to play with,” Jones said.
So he’s asking locals and tourists from across the state to spend their dollars locally when they visit.
“Stop by and spend like $10, $20, $30 ‘cause it, it matters,” Jones said.
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