‘Twilight’ vampire tourism still has bite

Book and film series continues to entice visitors to the darker side of town

Ted S. Warren / AP

Visitors listen to Michael Gurling, right, of the Forks, Wash., Chamber of Commerce, talk about the bonfire location on a beach in LaPush, Wash., that is portrayed in Stephenie Meyer's vampire-themed "Twilight" books.

Slideshow

Haunted destinations
From the inspiration for “The Shining” to the Headless Horseman’s hangout, visit the world’s wildest, weirdest tourist attractions ... if you dare.

more photos

Video

‘Twilight’ stars visit TODAY
Nov. 20: The stars of the new movie “Twilight” stop by to chat with the TODAY hosts about the film and their thousands of young fans.

Today show

Slideshow

‘Twilight’ stars light up Hollywood
The hot book series about a vampire in love is now a major movie franchise.

more photos

updated 10:12 a.m. ET Aug. 7, 2009

The "Twilight" tourism bonanza shows no signs of abating in Forks, an old logging town on Washington's Olympic Peninsula that's won new fame as the setting for a teen vampire fantasy.

Marcia Bingham of the Forks Chamber of Commerce says more than 16,000 people passed through the town's visitor center in July alone, nearly equal to the 18,485 people in all 2008, the Peninsula Daily News reported.

While the Visitor Center had focused mainly on teaching people about logging and coordinating tours of local natural resources. These days it's all about vampires and werewolves, Bingham said.

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

She said a number of the visitors have asked if it is safe to go camping with the vampire problems in the area?