The mega-cruise ships, each carrying thousands of passengers, are arriving in Portland, bringing busloads of tourists 17 miles north for a few hours in Freeport. The Freeport Fall Festival, Oct. 4-5, represents a major marketing effort, and the big three-day Columbus Day weekend comes at the peak of the fall foliage season.

It’s autumn in Freeport and business is booming.

“We get more tour buses now than we do in the summer – 15 or 20 a day, seven days a week,” said Kelly Edwards, executive director of FreeportUSA, which promotes Freeport as a tourist destination.

“The foliage season, especially in October, is when our calendar is full. Once we hit September, it’s daily,” she said.

The motor coach companies let their passengers off outside Freeport’s magnet store, L.L. Bean. Mac McKeever, L.L. Bean spokesman, says that the company is getting a big boost from the increased emphasis on autumn activities.

“So far, what we’ve been seeing is a vibrant and robust fall shopping season,” McKeever said. “From the retail perspective, we’re seeing strong sales. I see it getting better each year.”

FreeportUSA is busy advertising throughout the New England market, especially Boston, about all the attractions in and around Freeport this time of year. The tour buses are a prime target.

“We have an incredible number of motor coach companies that come into Freeport in the fall,” Edwards said. “The foliage, and all the fall events, like the Cumberland Fair, are a draw. It’s a quieter time of year and it’s beautiful and it’s really a more peaceful destination. Our hope is that the hotels and the bed-and-breakfasts will sell out.”

L.L. Bean got dozens of new customers within a minute or so last Wednesday, when a bus from Davenport, Iowa, let its passengers off in front of Coffee By Design, which is by the Main Street entrance to the Bean flagship store. The group, out of Chicago, was on a five-state, six-day New England tour.

Bus driver Marty Odell said that the tour group had visited Kennebunkport the day before, and was making an afternoon stop in Freeport. The group of mostly women wanted to visit Bean and Wilbur’s of Maine chocolatier. They stayed overnight in Freeport, and toured Portland Head Light the next day.

Mindful of the impact of tour buses, FreeportUSA personnel approach the bus drivers, give them informational brochures and guides, and free lunch vouchers. FreeportUSA collects contact information, and mails information on Freeport to the parent companies.

“When they call ahead, we do a personalized welcome to all the passengers,” Edwards said.

Brianna LaPointe, who works at Freeport Chowder House on Mechanic Street, within sight of the tour buses, was “Johnny-on-the-spot” last Thursday. Every time tourists stepped down off a bus, she was there with a Chowder House menu and a $1 off coupon for a meal.

Though there’s really only room for two buses to park in front of L.L. Bean, LaPointe said she has seen times when three are there – the third one jutting out into Justin’s Way, which intersects Main Street.

Last Thursday, the first tour bus with cruise ship passengers stopped by at 9:30 a.m., on a Cyr Bus Lines coach. Driver Paul Wiers, who grew up in Pownal and now lives in Litchfield, said he returned to Portland to pick up another load of passengers, came back to Freeport, let them off and picked up the people he had left off at 9:30. Wiers returned again at 3:30 to bring the last group back to Portland.

LaPointe also was busy handing out menus to bus companies out of Cape Cod and Bridgewater, N.Y., on Thursday.

Both Edwards and Carrie McBride, owner of Earrings and Company at 3 Mechanic St., agree that June and July are not as busy as they used to be in Freeport. McBride, who has owned Earrings and Company for seven years, sees an interesting dynamic at play.

“It’s the economy,” McBride said. “The middle class families have less income to travel. They have to choose between a hotel room or camping, and shopping or not. In the fall, we’re seeing higher-income people with no children at home. It’s the empty-nesters, and it’s girls’ weekends. It’s the upper middle class that can afford to get away and they like to shop.”

McBride said she has noticed a much larger fall shopping business for the past six years. And it’s not just the foliage.

“It’s the weather,” she said. “Everybody likes it here in September and October. There are lots of Canadians and bus tours. One woman has been coming up from Louisiana on a bus tour every year for 20 years. She comes to my shop, which is great. We have a lot of repeat customers. This year in particular, we’re seeing a lot of people coming on buses from the cruise ships.

McKeever has noticed that, too.

“They get on tour buses and a short excursion would be a stop to Freeport,” he said. “Retailers and restaurants and lodging all benefit. September and October are splendid months to be in Maine.”

Scott Gile, who owns Brewster House Bed & Breakfast, 180 Main St., with his wife Mary, said that they maintain an occupancy rate of 80 percent of their seven rooms from the end of June through the end of October – and they’re usually full on weekends during that period.

Mary Gile said she sees a busy downtown through the fall. Judging from the number of L.L. Bean bags left in rooms, she said, most of the guests shop in town.

“I would say fall is very similar to the summer,” she said.

Just as a Bailey Coach bus from Northeast Unlimited Tours of Cape Cod was picking up its passengers to leave Freeport in front of L.L. Bean last Thursday morning, a Wade Tours bus from Bridgewater, N.Y., arrived and let its passengers off.  Tourists from Iowa stream into downtown Freeport last Wednesday.