Advance bookings for summer travel are up more than 5 percent over last year, despite higher trip prices, AAA Colorado said Wednesday.
The average national vacation will cost 5.4 percent more this summer than last year, with lodging rates up 9 percent and meals up 2 percent. With the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Colorado at $2.84 Wednesday, 61 cents higher than last year, filling up will cost significantly more.
The national average was $2.92, according to AAA.
Gas prices don’t appear to have slowed visits to Cañon City’s Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, which has seen 21 percent more traffic year-to-date, said general manager Mike Bandera.
“People still seem to be traveling,” he said. “Gas prices don’t seem to be affecting anyone yet, but we’ll be in virgin territory if we get into the $3.50 range.”
State tourism boosters were in a joyous mood Wednesday as they gathered at the state Capitol to promote the upcoming travel season and to celebrate a $19 million annual increase in the state tourism budget, which was recently approved by the legislature.
Gov. Bill Owens pledged to sign House Bill 1201 in the next few days. It will divert a portion of the state’s gaming taxes to tourism marketing.
“Tourism and economic development are synonymous, so this is a great day for economic development in Colorado,” said Republican state Sen. Jack Taylor of Steamboat Springs, one of bill’s sponsors. “House Bill 1201 is going to put Colorado in the big leagues in terms of tourism.”
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
