Gas Prices Raises Tourism Fears for NH

With the world facing record prices for a barrel of oil, the nation is abuzz with people talking about gas prices, truckers are striking, and people are worrying. Suddenly road trips don’t seem so cheap anymore. Here in New Hampshire we are paying less than the national average with the average gallon in the state going for $3.53 on the 7th of May and the average national price being $3.63. A week earlier it was $3.50 a gallon, a month ago it was $3.13, and a year ago it was $2.89.

What does this mean to New Hampshire residents? Commuting has become more expensive, food that needs to be transported to stores has gone up as trucks need to pay more for fuel, petroleum based fertilizers are raising food, and tourists might be wary of driving to New Hampshire.

Roger Brooks was the keynote speaker at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism on May 6th and told attendees that, “fuel prices are heading to $4 a gallon. When it hits $4, there will be a change in where we go, or if we go. It is changing the psyche of travel.”

New Hampshire’s Tourism Department is a bit worried about the price of fuel and the effects it might have this summer on one of the state’s biggest sources of income. New Hampshire needs to keep the tourists coming. “Everybody’s concerned about the high cost of gas, so we’re looking for ways to make it easier on visitors and residents of the state,” said Tai Freligh, spokesman for the state’s Division of Travel and Tourism Development. The department will be helping to roll out a Rediscover New Hampshire campaign later in May to help entice tourists to come to the state amidst high fuel costs and a jittery economy.

One of the ways the department is trying to keep drivers coming to the state is promoting a variety of gas vouchers that can be obtained when settling for the night at certain inns and bed and breakfasts across the state. A list of the opportunities can be found at the department’s website. http://www.visitnh.gov/why-new-hampshire/gas-and-green-offers/gas.aspx

Zach Tinsley, a Bedford resident and senior at UNH, recently took a trip down to New York to cheer the Tigers on at Yankee Stadium. To him, “gas prices are ridiculous. You really notice it when you drive that far. My friends and I are definitely were driving together when going skiing and snowboarding this winter and I’m looking at more fuel efficient cars when I start working.”

As the nation looks at its energy problems, New Hampshire also looks at its own. There will need to be creative solutions to the problems that high gas prices bring to our state economy and to our lifestyles. We will have to wait and see where the price of crude goes and where the cheapest stations in town are located.