One theory holds that expensive fuel and a wobbly economy will curb all travel. Never in the 15 years we've tracked it has there been a decline in travel. The high price of gas won't change that. When the economy does real well, our businesses don't do so well. When the economy slows down, we do better.
People stay closer to home.
That's what I've found in the past 21 years here. Gas prices are the obvious answer, but it's hard for us to tell. The quest for more reliable data about Great Lakes tourism has led Ohio State University researchers to try to figure the dollar value of Lake Erie's beaches. By calculating how much visitors spend, how long they stay and how much the public is willing to pay for lake access, researchers hope to better define the role of the Great Lakes in the wider regional economy. Better beaches with fewer health warnings caused by high readings of fecal bacteria translated to longer visits and more money spent by visitors.