Gasoline prices expected to slow summer travel

[marmar]

By MICHELLE R. SMITH
Associated Press


With gas prices above $4 in some states, Americans are canceling spring break plans and rethinking summer vacation, and some tourist destinations are offering gas vouchers of as much as $50 to talk people out of giving up and staying home.

At Mount Rushmore, only about 37,000 people decided in March that seeing the four granite-etched presidential sculptures was worth the trip, down from about 43,000 a year before.

At the Grand Canyon, a marketing executive for one company that offers sweeping helicopter vistas says 10 percent fewer people than last year are driving up and booking tours. The company is counting on international tourists to make up the rest.

And along the Rhode Island coast, where 800,000 people a year show up to gawk at the opulence of Gilded Age mansions, it’s even worse — business is off 30 percent just since the beginning of March. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/apr/21/gasoline-prices-expected-slow-summer-travel/?partner=RSS

[DFW]

1. If the crunch on Massachusetts Route 3 eases up....

It won't break my heart. I get enough of that on the Autobahn the
rest of the year, and gas is close to $9 a gallon here.

[eleny]

2. "a rose is a rose" is my motto for this summer season

hubby wants to take a camping trip for two to three weeks. i told him that we can stay in colorado - our own vacationland. for the sake of budgeting, a pine tree is a pine tree. and besides, with the pine beetle on the rampage we'd better enjoy or mountain trees while we have them.

:hi:

[ZombieHorde]

3. This is good for the environment, but bad for places which rely on tourism. nt

[onethatcares]

4. I need to find me a job where I can

print the obvious and make big bucks. I'm tired.

[gratuitous]

5. Naw, rilly?

High end resorts had better count heavily on international tourists, because domestic tourists don't have the money to go on vacation. This problem, however, looks like it will be solved by more tax cuts for the wealthy. It's worth a try, anyway.