Tourism Sites Hope Vacation Values Will Offset Cost of Gas
By Daniel Victor, The Patriot-News, Harrisburg, Pa.
Apr. 21–Conventional wisdom might suggest that painful gasoline prices will force families to ditch summer vacations this year.
But tourism officials say prices aren’t high enough to keep families home.
At least, not yet.
What’s more likely, several sources said, is that visitors will take shorter vacations, buy fewer souvenirs and search harder for bargains.
A Hersheypark spokesman said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the coming season.
“I don’t think many people have completely changed their habits,” said Robin Scaer, marketing director for the Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau. “It wouldn’t surprise me if the $4 mark [for gas] becomes the tipping point, but we’re not there yet.”
Despite high gas prices last year, 2007 was a record year for Pennsylvania tourism, said Michael Chapaloney, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania tourism office.
In 2007, there were 26.9 million hotel rooms booked statewide, 820,000 more than in 2006.
An estimated $28.2 billion was spent statewide by tourists in 2007, compared to $27 billion in 2006.
And there was a 3.1 percent increase in demand for hotel rooms, compared to a national average increase of 1.2 percent.
Of course, tourism officials can’t just ignore those gas prices.
“Since Pennsylvania is, to some extent, a drive-through state, that could have an impact,” Chapaloney said. “But at the same time, people are experiencing local tourism. People in-state may not drive out of state or as far, and therefore spend their tourism dollars here at home.”
Hersheypark had a record 2.9 million visitors in 2007, a year marked by the park’s 100-year celebration and the opening of the Boardwalk water attraction.
Garrett Gallia, a spokesman for Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co., which runs Hersheypark, said there’s a reliable base of 60 million people within three hours of Derry Twp.
While acknowledging that visitors will be more careful with their money, Gallia said the company hasn’t shifted its marketing strategy.
The local base, Gallia said, “allows us to be cautiously optimistic that when families do decide to spend their discretionary or entertainment dollar, that we’ll be on the top of their list.”
This year, Hersheypark is unveiling another roller coaster, Fahrenheit, its second new major attraction in two years. Typically, the park unveils a feature attraction every other year. The park opens on weekends beginning May 2 and beings its daily season May 21.
Across the board, there’s a lot of bad economic news for travelers.
According to the Travel Industry Association, the Travel Price Index, an indicator of the cost of traveling, rose 7.6 percent from February 2007 to February 2008.
In that time, gas prices jumped 32.7 percent.
The price forecast isn’t pretty for this summer, according to the government’s Energy Information Administration. Regular gas prices are projected to average $3.54 a gallon nationally, compared to $2.93 last summer.
All those statistical gut punches have the Pennsylvania Dutch Convention & Visitors Bureau anticipating that this summer might be a tough one.
So the bureau is partnering with hotels in Lancaster County to offer $25 gas cards to visitors who spend two nights and $10 cards for one-night guests. The cards are redeemable at Turkey Hill Minit Markets.
The hotels are paying for the gas, while the bureau is paying for radio advertisements and other promotion, said Chris Barrett, president and CEO of the bureau.
Barrett, a Hummelstown resident, said he expected tourism to be affected by gas prices last year but was surprised to see they had little effect.
This summer, he predicted, consumers are likely to watch their spending more.
“With all the doom and gloom, we’re trying to offer a respite and a value,” Barrett said. “There’s a lot of opportunity in times like this to still try to encourage folks to vacation. They can do it at a value.”
DUTCH WONDERLAND:
The amusement park in Lancaster opens for the season May 3. Bianca Ryan, a winner of TV’s “America’s Got Talent,” will perform two concerts May 3-4. Her performances are free with paid park admission. Details: www.dutchwonderland.com.
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