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Salem reports a scary big number of visitors this Halloween season, breaking past records
According to city officials, 87,351 visited on Oct. 31 alone.
The historic city of Salem shattered tourism records this Halloween season.
Salem saw 1,040,600 visitors in October for its annual month-long Haunted Happenings festival, an 8.6 percent increase over last October, according to the city. And on Oct. 31, 87,351 people visited Salem, compared to 63,856 in 2023 — a 37 percent increase.
The city credits this year’s warm weather, a national increase in consumer spending for Halloween, its unique history as the location of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and the city’s reputation as the largest celebration of Halloween in the world for the increase.
“This year we had the opportunity to share the city we all love with more visitors than ever,” said Mayor Dominick Pangallo in a statement.
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“The beautiful warm weather on Halloween had an impact on how many folks came to celebrate with us,” said Ashley Judge, executive director of Destination Salem, in a statement. “My husband, daughter, and I gave out 1,200 pieces of candy in an hour and 20 minutes!”
Pangallo thanked the city’s workers for their efforts and the city’s residents for their patience.
“Welcoming so many visitors to our community is no small feat, and we’re constantly reviewing ways we can improve on how we manage it all,” he said. “We also know that, while there are impacts and challenges from October, our strong visitor economy is what keeps many of our small businesses in business, creating the vibrancy that we, as residents, get to enjoy all year round.”
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About 1.8 million people visit Salem annually, according to the city, supporting 1,000 jobs and generating nearly $140 million in tourism spending.
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