Jul 3, 2008 9:21 am US/Eastern
Gas Prices Affect July 4 Travel Plans For Some
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
Prices are soaring, so many families are staying put this holiday.
Mary Bubala breaks down the numbers.
Holiday travel decisions have become a little more thoughtful this year.
"I came back from Houston, so because I had just finished traveling this week, I thought it was probably best to stay close by for the fourth," said Cheryl Wilcox Tatum.
It was more economical for her mom to travel up from Georgia.
For the first time in a decade, AAA expects a decrease in Fourth of July travel. There will be a 1.3% drop in drivers and a 2% drop in plane travel compared to last year. The majority of travelers are staying within 250 miles of home.
"We certainly attribute it to not only record high gas prices but increased costs to travel overall," said Ragina Averella with AAA.
The trend for travel is going to be the same this weekend as it will be for the rest of the summer. People want to stay closer to home, so the city of Baltimore is hoping that Marylanders will consider stopping here for vacation.
This summer, there are new hotel packages and admission deals for out-of-towners and locals.
"If you're going to travel somewhere, you want to know that you're getting value, so these hotel packages speak right to that. You know, you're getting two nights in a hotel, the third night for free," said Nancy Hinds with Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Assn.
Bargains, free events or anything easing the economic strain will impact how Marylanders travel and if others come to our city.
The hotel promotion has received a lot of attention and it could mean a local tourism boom for Baltimore. Web traffic to baltimore.org is up from last year and the number of visitor guides shipped from the Baltimore Tourism Bureau is up. The question will be if regional tourism will make up for the overall decrease in travel expected this weekend and beyond.
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