Rising Gas Prices Make Local Travel More Attractive

May 31, 2008 -- While summer may not have officially begun, many families are already planning their summer vacations.

But with the price of gas steadily rising, many say they are altering their summer plans, opting to stay closer to home.

With travelers looking to spend less money, tourism boards across the country are pulling out all the stops to get a piece of those dwindling vacation dollars. Many are offering low-cost, relatively local getaways.

Though the Swaybe family has enjoyed exotic vacations in the past, they are hoping to take advantage of deals close to their East Coast home.

Last year, the Swaybes traveled to Greece.

"It was an amazing, amazing trip," said David Swaybe. "It was [a] very expensive trip. ... This year, we're going bare bones."

"The most we'll do is a day trip, maybe a couple of days, and all local because … times are tough economically," he said.

Local tourism boards are marketing to the local tourists.

Panama City Beach, Fla., and Baltimore are pitching deep discounts on hotels and restaurants. Baltimore is even using local celebrity Cal Ripkin to promote itself as a travel destination.

But the easiest sell this year may be: Why go out of state at all?

Connecticut is telling its residents that there are plenty of things to do that are "only a tank of gas away."

And Massachusetts, where the Swaybe family lives, has launched an aggressive marketing campaign, with more than 90 ads promoting in-state destinations. The campaign says: "There's so much to do in Massachusetts, we have to run a new ad every day."

Connie Swaybe has a list of destinations that won't break the bank.

"We live 20 minutes away from the North Shore, which is absolutely beautiful," said Swaybe. "And we are about an hour and a half from Cape Cod. So really, we don't have to go very far at all."

Click on the city or state name to check out their websites promotoing local tourism: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York or Baltimore.