Business owners and operators in eastern Connecticut say they’re not too worried that the high price of gasoline will keep tourists away this summer.
Like a starter gun signaling the beginning of the race, Memorial Day weekend is once again kicking off summer. And those who rely on tourism for a living are poised nervously at the starting line.
A family spending an average of $487 on a 300-mile trip using a sport utility vehicle would probably budget only $10 more for fuel this year than in 2006, said AAA spokesman Jim MacPherson.
“The higher price of gasoline is clearly adversely affecting many people and it’s a major assault on many family budgets,” he said. “Is $10 going to break the deal? Probably not.”
The stakes are high in eastern Connecticut. Tourism generates up to $4 billion a year in economic activity and creates as many as 50,000 full- and part-time jobs.
“We like to believe that we are a one-tank getaway for people from Albany to Boston,” said Mike O’Farrell, spokesman for Mystic Seaport.
Gasoline prices leading up to Memorial Day weekend reached an average of $3.22 a gallon nationally, the AAA reported. At the same time, AAA is projecting an increase of 2.4 percent for travel in the Northeast this summer and 1.7 percent nationally, with most tourists traveling by car, MacPherson said.
About 7.1 million people will be driving on roads in the Northeast, he said.
High gas prices are expected to help regional tourist attractions because they are close to so many visitors. O’Farrell said millions of potential visitors are within a three-hour drive of Mystic Seaport.
Campaign Underway
The state’s $1.2 million tourism marketing campaign, called “Closer Than You Think,” capitalizes on shorter travels, said Karen Senich, acting executive director of the state’s Commission on Culture and Tourism.
Touting Connecticut as a “nearby escape,” the commission is marketing in print, radio and online and with new ads on rail cars on the New Jersey PATH (Port Authority-Trans Hudson) and Hudson River Valley trains.
This past year, the average length of hotel stays declined, but the number of day trips was up. That’s good news for major attractions, said Donna Simpson, executive director of the Eastern Regional Tourism District in New London.
She sees mixed indications of how tourism will play out this year.
“Restaurateurs in particular are seeing things like smaller checks and less repeats and they’re afraid that means people are cutting back and are afraid for what that might mean for the season,” Simpson said. “On the other hand, the bookings seem to be decent.” (AP)
