The many artists, craftsmen (and women) and creative types who occupy our community face a tough summer.
As gas prices head up the tourists that many in Floyd County depend on for survival stay home. With prices predicted to hit $3.00 a gallon soon, the arts and crafts community of Floyd may face a long, dry spell where tourists stay home.
It that happens, it will be the third straight year that high gas prices have driven down tourism traffic for the area. Traffic on the Blue Ridge Parkway declined by 20 percent in 2004 and 40 percent in 2005.
When gas prices soared above $3.00 a gallon over the Labor Day weekend last year, visitors stayed away from the Carroll County Gun Show and Flea Market, an event already hit hard by vendors who cancelled because of the double whammy of gas prices and Hurricane Katrina.
“People only have so much discretionary income and whenever you cut into it, and we just had two seasons with very high oil prices as well, and if we go into a season with high gas prices, you’ll see discretionary spending at least moderate,” says Greg Dugal from the Maine Innkeepers Association.
The burning question when it comes to gas prices is always: How high is too high?
“The question is, what is that magical price point where people say it’s too expensive,” says Jason Aldous, a spokesman for the Vermont department of Tourism and Marketing.
“Last summer, when gas prices hit $3, we had people cancel (their hotel reservations),” says Scott Edwards, owner of the Daytona Welcome Center, a hotel booking service. “We’ve been down that road before.”
Three dollars a gallon has a “psychological impact that is much worse than the actual impact to the wallet,” he said.
In Floyd County, where a majority of our working population drive 30 miles or more just to get to work each morning, $3.00 a gallon is an actual impact to the wallet.
Its already at $3/gallon here.and we pull it out of the damn ground in this county!!!
Three bucks a gallon will take a big chunk of everyone’s money. I heard a financial analyst say that for every penny that gas goes up, there goes a million bucks out of the economy (and into the pockets of the Oil companies).Or was it a billion?? I added the part in quotes.
I live in the shadow of Chevron – on the west coast. Gas has already reached the $3/gal mark – and we hear that the only way the price will go – is UP! I’m retired – living on the fixed income of the SSA. I received a huge raise this year (4.1%). So I walk more – and have drastically cut back my auto use – and many of the pleasures in life – like seeing friends – and visiting places I’ve never been to! I don’t think King George gives a tinker’s damm how – or even IF we live – and, of course if he didn’t engage in these fuel-guzzling, undeclared but killing wars he’s manufactured (Iraq and next, Iran), the US would have much lower gas prices and a far better economy at home! May we ALL live to see better days! elgee