With the kids out of schools and the temperatures rising, now is the time many families hit the roads or sky for vacations.

However, the forecast this year isn’t as good as years past.

With gas prices hovering around the $4 mark, many families are cutting back, which will cause travel to be down 1 to 1.5 percent this season, according to AAA.

That number may seem insignificant, but it adds up to between 3.27 million and 4.91 million less people traveling.

So, area businesses are stepping up to fill the void by encouraging tourists to come to Southern Indiana as well as having residents vacation in their hometown.

“This summer, we’re offering a couple of leisure packages with area businesses ... to attract locals verses them having to spend a lot of money on gas,” said Rita Reedy, marketing director of Galt House Hotel and Suites. “We are putting more emphasis in reaching out to that local market here in Louisville and surrounding areas.”

The Galt House has paired up with the Louisville Slugger Museum, Churchill Downs, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and more for their package deals.

Holiday Inn Express in New Albany is also offering local packages, including Six Flags tickets and a Starlight deal, which includes wine tasting, tours and a meal at Joe Huber’s Family Farm and Restaurant and Huber’s Orchard and Winery.

Those deals may just be the winning ticket to a strong season.

“The last two months, I think the gas prices have hurt us a little bit, but now we’re in our busy season and we’re doing better than I thought we would,” said Dee Cunningham, director of sales at Holiday Inn Express.

Both hotels concentrate advertising dollars within a 100-mile radius of Louisville, though Cunningham said Holiday Inn also tries to reach out to the Chicago and northern Indiana markets.

Jim Wood, president and CEO of Louisville Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, said fewer flights coming into Louisville may also dampen this travel season’s profits. However, he said that is where the convention center comes in.

“Our convention business will remain strong and attendance will stay where it has been, so the drive market will continue to come into Louisville,” Wood said.

Wood said the area has just wrapped up its sixth year with the Hometown Tourist program, which gives locals discounts to various attractions in May and part of June. He said though the numbers from this year’s event aren’t in just yet, he feels that it helped open up many residents’ eyes to everything this area has to offer.

Despite the negative travel outlook by various agencies, Jim Keith, executive director of the Clark-Floyd Counties Convention and Tourism Bureau, said the high price of gas may help increase business.

“We may benefit from some of this stuff, because there may be some people that don’t take their long trips and there will be more people staying in the area,” he said.

So, the Clark-Floyd bureau is offering many free activities all summer long to entertain the whole family, such as RiverStage, which is a barge on the river where bands play, the Concert in the Park series, at Jeffersonville’s Warder Park, various arts and crafts fairs and more.

Indiana is also promoting in-state travel through two Web sites, which is something Keith said the area will benefit from.

“We’re fortunate of where we’re located. We’re easy to get to from the highways and interstates,” Keith said.

He predicts a strong season at Deam Lake, Starlight and the various camping areas.



AAA Summer Driving Tips

QUESTION: What is the single best way to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy?

ANSWER: Modifying driving behavior by reducing speed is the best way to improve fuel economy. Reducing speed from 70 mph to 60 mph can noticeably improve fuel economy.

Driving conservatively is also important. Gentle acceleration as opposed to heavy throttle for quick starts can also improve fuel economy.

Q: Is it more fuel efficient to use my air conditioner or travel with my windows down?

A: When at high speeds, it’s always better to keep your windows up to maintain your vehicle’s aerodynamics. When driving in stop-and-go traffic, there is a very slight increase in fuel efficiency by cutting off the air conditioner and rolling down the windows. However, today’s air conditioning systems are much more efficient than in the past and do not put as great a drain on your vehicle as they once did.

Q: How much fuel efficiency do I lose when I secure items to my vehicle’s roof rack?

A: Anytime you put something on your roof rack, it creates more aerodynamic drag on your vehicle and will substantially reduce fuel efficiency. The amount of the decrease would vary based on the size of the object on top and the vehicle.

Q: If the owner’s manual says to use premium gasoline, will it damage the engine if you use a lower octane or do you only lose performance?

A: Not using the fuel octane level recommended by the manufacturer can decrease the performance of your vehicle and possibly result in a decrease of your fuel economy.

— Courtesy AAA Hoosier Motor Club



FAST FACTS

• Americans are expected to take more than 327 million leisure trips during June, July and August of 2008. This is down from last summer by 1 to 1.5 percents.

• There is increasing concern about rising gasoline prices and evidence that Americans are beginning to strategically change their behavior accordingly. So far, this has taken the form of reduced or consolidated trips in their home areas and greater use of public transportation and car pooling. Only very recently has AAA Hoosier Motor Club begun to see Americans look seriously at away-from-home travel as an area to reduce or a place to economize.

• Most Americans say they will continue to travel even if gas prices continue to rise but are likely, as they have done in the past, to modify the nature of their trips. Traveling closer to home, reducing trip durations and seeking out more affordable accommodations, restaurants and activities are ways we can expect Americans to continue to travel within their more constrained budgets. We can expect Americans to take more in-state and in-region trips this summer.

• Travel Industry Association of America expects travelers to be more deliberate and cost-conscious in their travel decisions this summer and they will be attracted by special offers, gas rebate programs and other incentives that destinations and travel companies around the country are now beginning to offer.

• High gasoline prices are not the only challenge facing American travelers this summer. Inflation overall is relatively high, and even more so in the travel sector, and this has been a source of growing concern over the past several months.