Out-of-way spots like Colo. hit as travelers stick closer to home
By Joanne Kelley, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Friday, July 4, 2008
How have higher airfares and $4 a gallon gas put a damper on your travel plans?
Photo by Barry Gutierrez
There were no takers Wednesday at a viewing stand on top of Pikes Peak. Rising airfares and gasoline prices are expected to take a toll on Colorado's tourism industry this summer.
Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky
Tourists scour the Pikes Peak Gift Shop on top of the mountain Wednesday. More vacationers are opting for trips closer to home this year to save money in a hard economy.
Judy Curtis and her husband hoped to travel to Venice, Italy, this summer as a reward for paying off the mortgage on their Boulder home.
But after further investigation, the couple figured their money would go farther in their own country - even after flying to Alaska and taking a driving tour of the state.
That was before airfares and fees kept marching upward and gasoline prices climbed to $4 a gallon.
In the end, they settled on a far more modest option: a day in nearby Estes Park for the annual Scottish Festival.
"It feels like a good summer to have a . . . what are they calling it, a 'stay-cation?' " said Curtis, 61. "We're not feeling as rich as we did before."
Such downsizing tends to happen as travelers get closer to making plans. But economic trends and the rising cost of flying and driving could combine to hit the tourism sector with a whammy it hasn't experienced since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"It's inevitable, it (the economy) is going to have an impact," said Richard Scharf, president of the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The only thing we can be assured of is it's going to impact every city and every state."
But some forecasters expect geographically isolated places such as Colorado to suffer more than others.
"I would include Colorado among the places that have become a large-scale tourist attraction because of the steady decline in airfares," said Anthony Townsend, research director with the Institute for the Future, a think tank based in Menlo Park, Calif.
Over the short term, Townsend sees tourism taking "a big hit, particularly for places that aren't really feasible for large numbers of people to get to in any other way."
A recent trend toward shorter, spontaneous plane trips could be challenged once travelers decide cost has become too big an obstacle, he said. Driving, on the other hand, despite the cost of gasoline, will still seem like a relatively affordable way to get here for those who live close enough.
On the upside: Many travelers now favor the "authentic" experiences and adventure vacations the state offers.
The big question for Townsend: whether the airline industry can "innovate its way out" of the fuel crisis, a process that will take far longer than the length of time it took for fuel costs to rise.
Already, data indicate fuel prices have pinched consumers and prompted them to cut back on travel.
Eons.com, a social networking site for baby boomers, said more than 60 percent of members responding to a survey have canceled, postponed or altered their summer travel plans because of rising gas prices.
Denver-based Mapquest released a survey this week showing that high gas prices have caused 66 percent of consumers to change vacation plans, and 34 percent to cancel their trips. Another 37 percent said they would take shorter trips and stay closer to home.
Hotels across the state have been spared.
The average occupancy rate of rooms has been down slightly this year, but that's only because the number of hotels has increased, according to a firm that closely tracks industry trends.
"It seems to us that people will always travel," said Jan Freitag, a vice president at Nashville, Tenn.-based Smith Travel Research. "People are always trying to get away from wherever they are, even though they may trade down in their choices" of lodging and food and how long they stay.
At the same time, hotels have managed to keep raising prices, and Freitag said his firm has been advising the industry not to cut rates "in a race to the bottom."
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 95 percent of the population continued to take trips even if they were nearby.
"Is what we're going through right now worse than 9/11?" Freitag asked. "We don't subscribe to that."
kelleyj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5068
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July 5, 2008
8:35 a.m.
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Existentalism writes:
Excellent.
The less people that come to our state to pollute it and to destroy the environment and ecological niches the better.
I hope thay all stay out of our state.
They do nothing but destroy the natural beauty and destroy the ecology of our great state.
July 5, 2008
8:58 a.m.
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Michael writes:
Existentialism - Geez, what words to use to best describe your post? Greedy, self-centered, self-absorbed, myopic, uneducated, uninformed, and maybe just plain stupid sums it up best. As tourism is either the number 1 or 2 industry in Colorado, what do you propose for all the great people that earn a living based on tourism do and what do you suggest we as their neighbors and friends do for them? If they cannot earn a living and pay their bills and support their families, who do you think they will turn to for help? You're a moron who has no empathy for people but it appears you think you do for inanimate objects like trees and rocks. Your priorities best resemble a Hoover appliance - as the RMN has banned the word that best describes you and your views.
July 5, 2008
10:06 a.m.
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giner writes:
Existentalism- did you perhaps own a restaurant in Cotopaxi or work as a fry cook at Lonigan's in Estes? If so, youve already done your best to run us "tourists" our of "your" state. Lucky for us, we have managed to find great places, and great service that keeps us coming back in spite of your hateful service. But don't worry- we won't be back at any of the aforementioned businesses, so you'll be safe there.
July 5, 2008
10:57 a.m.
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Vector049 writes:
Like the bumper sticker reads:
If Texas is so Great, Why move to Colorado?
July 5, 2008
10:59 a.m.
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Dinty writes:
Now who are we supposed to believe? The Rocky Mountain News or the Rocky Mountain News? June 17, 2008 "Toursism Record Heights", Rocky Mountain News: "Officials still predict tourism will post another strong year in 2008 because vacations during the peak summer season already have been booked, as have conferences and trade shows in the busy fall months. Another plus: the media frenzy about the city ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.
This is why the RMN, as well as other news media have no credibility. It just depends upon the writer, the day, the mood, or whatever as to what slant they put on the same facts. Most of the time, it's gloom-and-doom. It's no wonder Consumer Confidence is down, which is a major factor affecting the economy.
July 5, 2008
12:02 p.m.
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fastnloose writes:
I disagree with those that think Colorado will suffer in these times.True we are out here in the middle of the country,but we offer some great sites to see if many of our locals would travel the state to see them.Kudo's to that couple who paid their house off in Boulder,nice to see some people understand the value of being out of debt.To the clown who is petrified tourist will wipe out our ecology.Why don't we all drink Rev. Jones kool-aid and the land can flourish on it's own.None of us will be around to see it though,but the tree's will be great.
July 5, 2008
2:35 p.m.
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rj1967 writes:
I cant wait until tourism takes a dump. Just maybe the resorts will be the ones bending over for a change and we can enjoy our own backyard without so much attitude.
July 5, 2008
3:02 p.m.
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gwats writes:
I really love living here, but I take my vacations in the most exotic places I can find. Gas prices didn't effect my vacation plan because We paid for our Airfares well in advance. Next year might be different. Colorado is still a great place to come home to. :)
July 5, 2008
3:26 p.m.
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mytwosense writes:
Actually, I've always cited our tourism industry as a good economic argument for keeping our lands wild and beautiful. Who is going to want to visit the West if it looks like the same giant subdivision they just left...
July 5, 2008
8:12 p.m.
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cfk writes:
I just made reservations to visit Colorado once again. I can not believe the remarks made by Existentalism, as my tourist dollars are being enjoyed by this idiot. I am a Colorado native and have enjoyed numerous visits in the 40 years since leaving the area. No gas prices are keeping me away from the most beautiful state in the Union. And I do plan to do plenty of driving around.