Tourism travails: summer fun faces uncertain times

Record gas prices have people talking about joining car pools and trading in gas-guzzling SUVs. Now, as many Americans hit the open road, an uncertain economy is putting a crimp in summer vacation plans as well.

"For Americans, summer travel is almost a birthright," said Brad Dean, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "People are still traveling but we are seeing a consistent trend of shorter stays and reduced spending."

The Travel Industry Association projects summer travel will drop 1.5 percent from last year, the first decline in four years.

But Americans are still expected to take an estimated 327 million vacation trips this summer, said Cathy Keefe, a spokeswoman for the trade group. July and August are peak months for domestic travel, about three-quarters of it by car or truck.

Craig and Kathy Thomas of Dwight, Ill., traveled to the beach on a Harley-Davidson, so gas wasn't a big concern. But they cut back on eating out and visited relatives in Kentucky and Georgia along the way.

"You economize where you can," said Kathy Thomas, a legal secretary. "We bought groceries that we put in our room so we eat breakfast and meals there."

Even if they still hold summer travel to be sacred, many people are waiting longer to make plans.

Gregory Christopher, property manager of the Garden City Inn and nearby Ocean View Inn in Garden City, S.C., said reservations are coming in at the last minute.

"The American people, any little thing out of the routine that interrupts their routine, they hibernate," he said.