THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996 TAG: 9605170533
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LON WAGNER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Gas prices be darned. Vacationers are going to hit their favorite summer spots in record numbers this year, two travel groups reported Thursday.
Budget-conscious families have realized that early spring's boost in gasoline prices was not as bad as the media hype. And they won't let the extra $5 or $10 in fuel costs stand in the way of vacation, the American Automobile Association and the Travel Industry Association discovered in a survey of 1,500 homes.
``A bit of advice: Clear the beaches,'' said Bill Norman, president of TIA. ``Families are heading there in droves.''
Obviously, that's good news for Virginia Beach and the rest of Hampton Roads. The average Virginia Beach vacationer comes from 400 to 500 miles away - many of them by automobile.
``Our only concern is the media blowing the thing up to the point where people think it's going to cost another $1,000 to drive down here on vacation,'' said Ron Kuhlman, director of marketing for the Virginia Beach Department of Convention and Visitor Development.
AAA spokesman Jerry Cheske also poked fun at all the recent attention the gas price.
``If I didn't know better, I'd think we were talking about the 1970s or even 1991 when we're talking about gas prices and vacation,'' Cheske said.
AAA tried to dispel that notion by publishing a chart comparing gasoline costs for trips last May and this May. The average price of regular unleaded fuel last year was $1.19, and this year it's $1.30, AAA said. Using an average fuel mileage of 25 miles to the gallon, a family driving from Cincinnati to Williamsburg would spend $30.53, or just $2.60 more than last year.
Those wondering whether they should be spending big money on vacation are both ``optimistic and cautious,'' Norman said. They're optimistic about strong employment and low inflation, but cautious because of the increase in gas prices and continuing reports of corporate downsizing, he said.
``There's no denying gas prices have spiraled 17 cents in three months,'' said Graeme Clarke, senior vice president of AAA Products and Services. ``The good news is prices may have peaked and maydecline just in time for vacation.''
Jay Hakes, head statistician at the U.S. Department of Energy, backed up Clarke's contention Thursday when he said consumers should soon see ``some relief'' in pump prices.
Prices in California, where the steepest increases occurred, are starting to drop, and new gas supplies are hitting the market, he said. Cheaper prices should follow within a few weeks.
The vacation kickoff is Memorial Day weekend, when 30.4 million people will travel more than 100 miles, up from 30 million last year, AAA estimated. Most of those, 26.7 million, will make that trip by car. Beaches will be the most common destination, with 25 percent of travelers saying they are headed to the ocean or a lake.
For the whole summer, Americans will take a record 232 million person-trips of more than 100 miles away from home, the travel groups reported. That's up 2 percent from last year. But there is a difference.
Travelers will be somewhat more budget-conscious this year, vacationing in larger groups. Fifty four percent of those planning a summer vacation said they will bring their children, up 7 percent from last year.
``Last summer, we talked upscale and lavish,'' Norman said. ``This summer we are talking family and moderate economizing. The typical family vacation will include more people per trip, longer trips and the same record level of spending as last summer.''
A final bit of good news for the region: AAA travel managers named Williamsburg as one of their five most popular travel destination by car. That puts Williamsburg in a group with Orlando, Grand Canyon National Park, Los Angeles and San Diego. ILLUSTRATION: Color drawings\ Gas prices aren't high enough to deter
budget-conscious families
Beaches will be one of their most common destinations
by CNB