Maria Yohn taps numbers into a calculator to determine how much she pays for gas every day to operate two boats that take tourists on 90-minute Wisconsin River excursions. The answer: almost $800 daily, up $120 from last summer.
"That makes you want to cry," says Yohn, who with her husband, Ron, owns The Original Dells Experience Jet Boats. The Yohns raised ticket prices $1 this season to offset the rising cost of gas. Adults now pay $22.25. Kids 6-10 pay $11.25, and those 11-15 pay $17.25.
Like many business owners in this tourist hot spot, Maria Yohn wonders if record gas prices and the faltering economy mean more Midwesterners will spend their vacations here to minimize driving and flying — or decide just to stay home.
"We're nervous, but we're positive," she says. "So far, we're getting a lot of calls from people who are really close by."
Wisconsin Dells, population 2,500, and the adjacent village of Lake Delton are the hub of an area that offers the natural beauty of forests, lakes and rivers and a jumble of tourist attractions: amusement parks, go-cart tracks, giant water slides, fast food, shops, a casino and dozens of hotels.
The economy of this area, which calls itself "the water park capital of the world," depends on tourism. It hosts 3.1 million visitors a year, and from December 2006 through November 2007, they spent $1.03 billion and supported 23,911 jobs, the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau says.
Half the visitors to this area come from within Wisconsin, which might minimize the effects of gas prices, says Romy Snyder, the Visitor & Convention Bureau's executive director. Besides, she says, many people think vacations are "a necessity, not a luxury."
People who cater to tourists hope she's right. "We're going to pull a lot more locals," says Shawna White, general manager of Riverview Park and Waterworld, which has carnival rides, go-carts and other attractions. The unlimited-rides ticket was increased 50 cents to $20.50 to cover rising gas costs.
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