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Sunday, June 21, 2009
Close to home
By Michael Hartranft
Journal Staff Writer
The times being what they are, many folks aren't venturing as far or spending as much time and money as they once did on summer vacations, industry experts say.
And with gas prices creeping upward again, it's a trend that will likely continue.
But for New Mexicans, who live in a state so rich in history, cultural diversity and natural beauty, there are plenty of opportunities to make their vacations memorable, and not terribly expensive, right here at home.
“The economy is making people think twice about how much they spend on vacation,” said New Mexico Tourism Department spokesman Mike Stauffer said, “meaning they don't want to stay as long and generally meaning they don't want to go as far.”
Art Bouffard, president of the New Mexico Lodging Association, said his members have been reporting an increase in the number of folks traveling within the state over the last year or two.
“I'm one of them,” said Bouffard, just back from a few days' excursion to Abiquiu Lake, which also included visits to a nearby monastery and mosque.
“Mostly, people take one-, two-week vacations at a time, but now they're taking two or three days at a time and are doing them more frequently,” he said.
Stauffer said area lodging prices remain affordable.
“You can still stay at a nice hotel for 100 bucks a night,” he said. “You can stay at some places from $35 to $40.”
To be sure, gas prices that dipped below $1.50 a gallon a few months ago are now a buck more, and they could hit $3 this summer, according to AAA. And, said Dan Ronan, AAA spokesman for New Mexico, “New Mexico always tends to run right about equal to the national average.”
Even better reason to stay close to home.
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