Fuel prices cause travelers to ‘change their patterns’

Richard Hatch and his family used to spend their summers traveling. Years ago, Hatch and his wife used to go across the country participating in arts fairs in various cities. And just last summer, his family traveled all the way out to South Dakota to visit other family members.

But with staggeringly high prices hitting the gas pumps this year, making the trip out to South Dakota was out of
the question.

“I’m not planning any long-distance trips, not with gas at four-something a gallon,” chuckled Hatch, a Bloomington resident. “My big trip will be
to Indy.”

He is not alone. Americans are expected to take 1 to 1.5 percent fewer leisure trips this summer than last year, according to AAA. For the first time in a decade, AAA forecasted a decline in Fourth of July weekend travelers, predicted to be 1.3 percent fewer than last year.

“Gas prices are appalling. I don’t know how some people are managing,” said Martha Moore, owner of pictura gallery in Bloomington. She and her husband David recently visited family in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and resorted to train travel between the cities. They realized that two one-way tickets were actually cheaper than gas.

“Obviously there is some impact” of gas prices on local tourism, said Michael McAfee, executive director of the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Consumer confidence is low,” he said.

However, with this year’s tax revenues from overnight stays up by 8 percent from last year, he suggested that people are “changing their patterns” rather than canceling their travels entirely.

Lake Monroe is among the local tourist destinations that could feel an effect. With the combined challenges of last month’s regional floods and the higher fuel prices, potential visitors may mistakenly assume that the lake businesses are closed or that renting a boat is too costly this summer.

Jenny Shedd, owner of Lake Monroe Boat Rental, said her business stayed open throughout the flooding. The lake hit a high of 17 feet above normal this year, forcing some neighboring businesses to close. She has seen a slight drop in business, but it is hard to say whether gas is a contributing factor, or if gas is a sole factor.

“(Business) is down a little bit,” she said. “It has to do with the high water, and the economy, and the price of gas.”

As for rental costs, she said, “people are attracted” to that aspect. The only fee that has gone up since last year is the hourly fuel rate. Still, the price per gallon is considerably cheaper than pump rates, sometimes less than half as much.

Gas prices are actually bringing new customers this year, said Mim Cappy, general manager of Lake Monroe Boat Rental. Trailing a boat on land can cut fuel efficiency in half and is no longer feasible for boat owners, who are most likely driving “gas-guzzling” SUVs she said.

“We have rented to people who own boats who don’t want to haul their boats. It’s just very inefficient,” she said.

Oliver Winery is also witnessing the effects of people tweaking their travel plans, but they are not all bad, said Pam Feeney, hospitality director. “We’re experiencing both ends,” she said.

For instance, regulars who usually drive down a few times a year are now “second guessing the trip down for the weekend,” and requesting wine shipments instead, Feeney said. On the other hand, Feeney anticipates that this summer could be a great opportunity for Bloomington locals to ask themselves, “What’s in Bloomington?” rather than heading out of town.

Hatch, a manager of By Hand Gallery, said that the economy does not seem to have taken a toll on his business. The month of June was “one of the best months of June” the gallery has ever had, he said. Luckily, “a lot of business is local.”

The Moores also said their downtown business, pictura gallery, is still thriving. June has been a slower month than April and May, but David Moore said they are making sales, and not just to locals.

“Just earlier today, some people came in from south of here,” he said. “They were just out for the day.”