Peabody Benefitting From Salem Halloween Overflow

PEABODY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Halloween is big business for Salem, Massachusetts.

What else do you expect from 'the Witch City?'

In fact, more than one million visitors are expected to visit Salem this Halloween season.

There is also a residual effect on nearby towns like Peabody.

Restaurants, retail stores, and hotels are among the businesses sharing in the holiday visitor overflow.

Deanne Healey is the president of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce.

She said her city gets a big boost from all of the visitors taking part in what Salem has to offer this time of year, a very deliberate effort to market itself as 'the Witch City.' "They plan for it, they expect it," she said. "And they book up because of Halloween, so it's a good thing for them," she added.

Peabody benefits too, she said, from the weary, overwhelmed Salem locals who grow tired of the daily crowds. "It's a good opportunity to get out of town and try another restaurant in a neighboring city that probably doesn't have the wait."

Healey said there are some surrounding businesses who don't benefit from the additional visitors such as banks.

For them, this time of year can just mean additional traffic.

But, one improvement this year Healey said she sees from previous years is that traffic doesn't seem as bad.

She attributes that to Salem's aggressive public transit advertising campaign. 

WBZ News Radio's Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports. 

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