There has been a slight shift in cottage country tourism resulting in more people traveling throughout the fall season. Tourists are now realizing that booking fall vacations ahead of time is essential. In Ontario's cottage country, the summer season is in full swing. Lakeside cottage resorts and inns are packed with happy vacationers, eager to enjoy their annual summer holiday by the lake. Surrounding towns and villages swell with vacationing families keen to explore the area and participate in its attractions. Each year, local businesses anxiously await the summer season and the annual invasion of tourists. During July and August, cottage country businesses operate at full capacity in order to take advantage of the surge in business, before the quiet of the off-season months return.

Over the past few years, there has been a slight shift in cottage country tourism. In Ontario resort areas like the Kawartha Lakes Region, while the bulk of tourist traffic still drops off after the Labour Day weekend, more and more vacationers are choosing to visit lake country in the fall. Many tourists are discovering that cottage country is a very attractive place off-season as well and that autumn is the very best time for a bug-free Ontario cottage country vacation. Fall tourists are attracted not only by the breathtaking displays of beautiful fall colour, but also by the absence of summer crowds and by a pleasant, moderate temperature. Reduced rates in the off-season also provide an incentive to plan a fall vacation getaway.

In the beautiful Ontario resort area of the Kawartha Lakes, the summer season has been steadily extending well into the fall months for some time. Little more than an hour drive north east of Metropolitan Toronto, the Kawartha Lakes Region encompasses many delightful small towns such as Lindsay, Bobcayegeon, Fenelon Falls, Lakefield, Omemee, and Buckhorn, and the area is scattered with numerous lakes, forests, and parklands. Fall events abound in the Kawarthas. Every community, it seems, has a fall fair or a fall studio tour of local artists to entertain and delight visitors to the area. The annual Buckhorn and Burleigh Falls Colours n' Crows Fall Festival, which runs from September 22 thru October 8th, features many exciting events including an imaginative assortment of scarecrows displayed throughout the region.

Kawartha Lakes resort owners Marian Peirce and Rick Cassidy of Marricks Landing Cottages (http://www.marrickslanding.com), a pet-friendly cottage resort on the shores of Lovesick Lake near the town of Burleigh Falls, have seen some change in their resort bookings.

"Summer has always been extremely busy at Marricks Landing, especially with families. Over the past few years, we have found that September and October have become almost as popular with our customers as July and August. The fall months appeal particularly to seniors and couples looking for a quiet and relaxing holiday. The autumn leaves in the Kawarthas are brilliant and the area boasts an abundance of fall events and activities. There is literally something for everyone to enjoy," states Peirce.

Cassidy adds, "Our fall vacation packages have been very popular, with many weekends booking up earlier every year."

While it seems unlikely that the surge in autumn resort business will over take the summer in popularity, fall vacations and getaways are definitely on the rise. Attractive off-season rates, vacation packages and area events make fall travel very enticing for those planning a holiday or getaway in cottage country. Additionally, Canada's mushrooming population of senior citizens, with both time and money available to vacation when and where they chose, increasingly choose to vacation in Canada during the off-season. And, just as it is essential to book a summer resort getaway well in advance, it will become increasingly necessary to reserve a fall resort vacation or getaway ahead of time, in order to avoid disappointment.

Marrick's Landing, a pet friendly, year round Ontario resort located in the Burleigh Falls and Kawartha region, offers a wide variety of features. Whether you are looking for a summer family vacation, or a fall romantic getaway weekend, please visit http://www.marrickslanding.com or call Marian Peirce & Rick Cassidy at 1-800-342-1495.