Nov 23, 2008 - 04:05:27 CST
LOADING
Despite the shrinking snow drifts and dropping gas prices, holiday travel for Thanksgiving may stall below last year's numbers, with only public transportation getting a little relief.
AAANorth Dakota is predicting a 1.4 percent decline from last year's numbers. That would make Thanksgiving the fourth consecutive holiday that travelers have tried to relieve their overstretched pocketbooks by staying at home or closer to home.
Airline prices have increased 8 percent over last year, with fees for normally complimentary items ratcheting up prices even more.
And car rental prices are about 4 percent higher than last year, AAA reported.
"What we see for the Midwest, by and large, is that most people who are traveling are visiting family and friends, and staying with family and friends,"said Gene LaDoucer with AAA North Dakota.
That means more modest returns in the hospitality industry, too, where business owners are bracing for declines from last year's profits.
"Leisure travel has really slowed down,"said Rudie Martinson, executive director of the North Dakota Hospitality Association, adding that business travel has remained steady.
Many hospitality businesses had a strong first 10 months of the year, however, he said, making the economic impact less heavy. But generally, consumers are already clutching their money to their chests, meaning a slowdown for businesses dependent on holiday travel.
"People are just being cautious and waiting out the national economic situation, and seeing how that's going to affect us up here in North Dakota,"Martinson said.
A winner in travel this year may be public transportation, though, LaDoucer said.
"An increase of 5.8 percent is expected in those traveling by train, bus or other mode of (public) transportation,"he said.
Marc Maglieri, spokesman for Amtrak, which runs trains through the Upper Midwest, said the commuter train service is expecting a strong Thanksgiving weekend. Maglieri said Amtrak has had sustainable increases in ridership for the past six years, with exceptionally high jumps in ridership last summer, when gas prices rocketed into the $4 per gallon range.
But, despite the cheerier outlook for public transportation, he said the company is prepared for milder holiday season.
"The soft economy in many parts of the country will certainly mitigate against huge ridership increases,"Maglieri said. "We're going at this realistically, to take into account the softening of the economy and the decrease in gasoline."
As of publication, gas prices had dropped to well below $2 a gallon for regular unleaded in several parts of the state, with LaDoucer predicting the state's average would fall even lower by the Thanksgiving weekend. Low gas prices, in fact, may be the saving grace for the travel industry this holiday.
"We may have experienced a bigger decrease had we not seen such a decline in gas prices,"LaDoucer said.
(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com.)
AAANorth Dakota is predicting a 1.4 percent decline from last year's numbers. That would make Thanksgiving the fourth consecutive holiday that travelers have tried to relieve their overstretched pocketbooks by staying at home or closer to home.
Airline prices have increased 8 percent over last year, with fees for normally complimentary items ratcheting up prices even more.
And car rental prices are about 4 percent higher than last year, AAA reported.
"What we see for the Midwest, by and large, is that most people who are traveling are visiting family and friends, and staying with family and friends,"said Gene LaDoucer with AAA North Dakota.
That means more modest returns in the hospitality industry, too, where business owners are bracing for declines from last year's profits.
"Leisure travel has really slowed down,"said Rudie Martinson, executive director of the North Dakota Hospitality Association, adding that business travel has remained steady.
Many hospitality businesses had a strong first 10 months of the year, however, he said, making the economic impact less heavy. But generally, consumers are already clutching their money to their chests, meaning a slowdown for businesses dependent on holiday travel.
"People are just being cautious and waiting out the national economic situation, and seeing how that's going to affect us up here in North Dakota,"Martinson said.
A winner in travel this year may be public transportation, though, LaDoucer said.
"An increase of 5.8 percent is expected in those traveling by train, bus or other mode of (public) transportation,"he said.
Marc Maglieri, spokesman for Amtrak, which runs trains through the Upper Midwest, said the commuter train service is expecting a strong Thanksgiving weekend. Maglieri said Amtrak has had sustainable increases in ridership for the past six years, with exceptionally high jumps in ridership last summer, when gas prices rocketed into the $4 per gallon range.
But, despite the cheerier outlook for public transportation, he said the company is prepared for milder holiday season.
"The soft economy in many parts of the country will certainly mitigate against huge ridership increases,"Maglieri said. "We're going at this realistically, to take into account the softening of the economy and the decrease in gasoline."
As of publication, gas prices had dropped to well below $2 a gallon for regular unleaded in several parts of the state, with LaDoucer predicting the state's average would fall even lower by the Thanksgiving weekend. Low gas prices, in fact, may be the saving grace for the travel industry this holiday.
"We may have experienced a bigger decrease had we not seen such a decline in gas prices,"LaDoucer said.
(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@bismarcktribune.com.)
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.