“A few years ago the N.Y. Times did an article on the towns along the river.”
Articles would cause a blip in tourism but then they would be forgotten. The Internet changed everything. All of the small, out of the way places now get “discovered” every day of the year forever.
It was the article that aroused people’s curiosity to check the towns out on the internet. It was shortly after the article, and it hasn’t stopped. I live here, I know.