Originally published May 18 2005
Travel industry sees surge in summer travel, despite surging gas prices
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Bookings are up in almost every sector of the travel industry, even as gas prices continue to reach record highs. Hotels, cruises, RV parks and airlines report record business this year, and economists attribute the boom to consumer optimism. Also, the dollar's continued drop in value is making foreign vacation spots more attractive.
Larry and Daisy Cheek from Snow Camp, N.C., wanted to celebrate Daisy's retirement with a two-month trip to the Pacific Northwest, traveling in their motor home to mountain and coastal destinations all over the region.
It was a trip that Larry, 60, and Daisy, 59, had been planning for some time and they had no intention of letting surging gas prices dissuade them from embarking on their adventure.
Spurred by a buoyant economy and a growing job market, millions of Americans like the Cheeks plan to ignore rising gas prices to vacation during what looks to be a bright and sunny summer for the travel industry.
Business and bookings in virtually every segment of the travel business -- cruises, hotels, airlines and RV campsites -- are up this year, marking a significant rebound for an industry hit hard by recession and the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The Port of Seattle expects cruise ship passengers passing through the Emerald City to rise from 562,000 to 685,000.
Carnival Corp., the parent company of Seattle-based Holland America Line, said the robust growth has helped them offset the impact of the soaring cost of oil by increasing cruise prices without affecting demand.
Because of that, cruise lines are adding family-oriented features, such as theme dining, games, ice skating rinks and Internet cafes.
Another reason for the surge in tourism in the United States is the declining dollar, which makes U.S. vacations more attractive to Americans, compared with travel overseas, while at the same time making the United States a more attractive vacation economically for foreigners.
Travel and tourism is a big economic contributor to the U.S. economy and the country has remained the top tourist destination despite the setbacks the industry experienced after the attacks on 9/11.
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