Visit Tyler expects boost from eclipse, azalea trails

TYLER — The City of Tyler will have a busy schedule for the three weeks as they prepare for the total solar eclipse that is expected to boost the local economy. According to our news partner KETK, The Azalea and Spring Flower Trail is expected to open on March 22. The city will open the Azalea and Spring Flower trail with more than ten miles of residential gardens with azaleas, tulips, wisteria and dogwood.

“There’s many, many beautiful historic homes to see, there’s so, so many beautiful flowers and not just azaleas, but a lot of other spring flowers,” Susan Travis, Visit Tyler vice president of sales, said.

The city is expecting hundreds of tourists to visit Tyler for the total solar eclipse expected to occur on April 8.

“We are less than a month away from the total solar eclipse, so we are so close and gearing up for a great weekend,” Sheridan Smith, Visit Tyler vice president of marketing and communications, said.

The city is looking forward to this event with the hope that tourist will boost the local economy.

“This is what we call new money, it’s tourism dollars, that money is money that comes from another community, and then they bring it into our city and they leave it here,” Travis said.

Though the city knows people are expecting bad traffic, Travis said local stores can benefit from the influx of people.

“If people are going down Broadway, that is actually a really good thing, I know it might sound kind of bad to have so much traffic sometimes, but a lot of people are spending money, spending their dollars here in Tyler that they don’t normally have,” Smith said.

The city said there will be something for everyone on eclipse weekend filled with East Texas charm and hospitality.