Thu, Jul 03 2008
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Published May 16, 2008 11:06 am - The days when dad loaded up the car, mom loaded up the kids, and the whole family took off across the country, stopping at all the tourist traps with their garish signs, may be over. Staying close to home can be fun By BETTY SMITH Press special writer TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — The days when dad loaded up the car, mom loaded up the kids, and the whole family took off across the country, stopping at all the tourist traps with their garish signs, may be over.
Often, in the past, people only visited local attractions when a relative from out-of-state came to visit. Then it was time to head off to Frontier City, to Woolaroc or other places usually considered too close to home for a vacation. With skyrocketing gas prices and an even tighter economy, this year Oklahoma tourism promoters are urging people to stay closer to home and take advantage of the wide variety of pastimes and sights the state has to offer. Lt. Gov. Jeri Askins kicked off National Tourism Week this week with that message. The annual AAA Vacation Costs Survey ranks Oklahoma as the sixth least-expensive state for travel, with an average cost for lodging and meals for two adults of $179.80 per day. The recommended travel budget nationwide is $244 per day. Tulsa was the least expensive of 449 large U.S. cities surveyed, with three other regional cities coming in among top four: Albuquerque, $178.90; Wichita, $193.97; and Oklahoma City, $194.69. The most expensive city is Honolulu at $673.13, but you’ll hardly be able to drive there. “You talk to people in New York City who’ve never been to the Empire State Building, people in Wyoming who’ve never been to Yellowstone,” said Chuck Mai of AAA Oklahoma. Oklahomans shouldn’t make the same mistake, he said. “We have more ecosystems in our state than in any other state,” Mai said. “We have more diverse terrain.” From the alligators in the swampy areas of far southeastern Oklahoma, to the windswept Panhandle, travelers can go up and down, across flat lands and through red dirt. As for gas prices this summer, “it’s anybody’s guess,” Mai said. “I would expect them to drop [after Memorial Day] but anything can happen,” he said. It all depends on what crises may drive up the price of crude oil, which constitutes 60 percent of the price of a gallon of gasoline. Because of these gas prices, AAA projects the number of Americans traveling during the Memorial Day holiday will drop slightly, compared with last year. AAA forecasts 37.87 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more, nearly 360,000 less than in 2007. AAA also predicts 521,000 Oklahomans will make these trips, down slightly from last year. Of those, 85 percent will travel by motor vehicle. Mai has several favorite sites in Oklahoma. 
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