Will gas prices drive away area tourism?

By Darragh Doiron
The Port Arthur News

April 24, 2008 12:44 am

— Every pull on the gas pump is a squeeze out of the summer vacation budget.
“I’m probably going to Louisiana. I wish I was going to California,” Brenda Hayes of Port Arthur said, and threw her head back for a good laugh at the situation.
If Bobbie Dugas decides to stay within 300 miles, she’ll drive. If she goes farther she’ll fly, and she’s prepared to pay extra for tickets.
“If I’m driving, it won’t affect me,” the area real estate agent said.
She said high gas prices have brought her business. Mid-County refinery workers living as far away as Lumberton have been seeking housing closer to work to save dollars on their commute, she said.
Associated Press reported that on Wednesday, gas prices rose more than 2 cents overnight to a national average of $3.53 a gallon, a new record of $3.533, according to the Oil Price Information Service. Gas also reached new records in the futures market after an Energy Department report raised new questions about fuel supplies.
Diesel, the fuel used by trains and ships that carry travelers to their chosen destination, rose to its own new record of $4.214 a gallon.
The story reports that gasoline inventories fell by 3.2 million barrels this past week, about a million barrels more than expected. Gas supplies have been falling lately, raising concerns about fuel supply levels as peak summer driving season approaches.
This has Americans planning how far they will travel for fun. “Getting there” money is now cutting into money for supplies, food, tickets and souvenirs.

Close to home
Tammy Kotzur, director of the Port Arthur Convention & Visitor Bureau, promotes travel to Port Arthur, but also helps those who live here find fun in their own back yard.
“We haven’t had a lot of phone calls about the high gas prices. People are looking for closer things to do, like go to Houston for the weekend,” Kotzur said. “We’ve got a lot of nature stuff and a lot of neat stuff in this area that people don’t always think of.”
Fishing, religious shrines, the recently-opened Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange and area museums are on that list, as is Sea Rim State Park, which isn’t quite ready to reopen after Hurricane Rita destruction in 2005. Kotzur said travel representatives are anxiously awaiting the park’s opening.
“A large number of tourists like to go to the beach for the board walk and air boat tour … that type of thing,” she said.

Heading to the beach
If it’s a question of “either” or “and,” Southeast Texans are favoring their home turf during this gas price pinch, Anne Willis, owner of Swedes Real Estate in the Crystal Beach area, said. They are picking one trip and not several.
“I don’t think it’s going to hurt us at all. What I find is that people are telling me they aren’t going to Disney and the beach. I already know our rentals are way up for the spring and the summer is going to be busy, too,” Willis said. “At spring break and Easter we had the biggest crowds we ever had at the beach.”
Willis is also president of the Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. She said she’s heard positive business comments from other retailers serving tourists through restaurants and souvenirs.
“It helps everyone,” she said.

How high is it?
Associated Press reports gas prices are nearly 68 cents higher than a year ago, and many forecasters believe they could spike as high as $4 a gallon nationally over the next couple of months. Prices are already above $4 a gallon in parts of the country, including California, where the state average reached nearly $3.87 a gallon Wednesday.
Contact this reporter at ddoiron@panews.com.

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