Halloween Scares Up Profits for the Travel Industry

The town smelled of autumn: damp leaves, cinnamon, and the faint, almost metallic bite of cold creeping through the trees. But it wasn’t just the pumpkin patches or the flickering jack-o’-lanterns that drew the tourists here. They’ve come for something darker. 

They’ve come for the ghosts.

Halloween – which not long ago was a niche, semi-holiday of the school age set –  has morphed into a high-revenue season for the travel industry, as haunted destinations draw tourists in droves, eager to immerse themselves in eerie experiences. 

Consumer spending this Halloween is projected to surge to an eye-popping $12.2 billion, a