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Gustav and Hanna scare away some Labor Day travelers

— For some, there will be no last hurrah this summer.

With Gustav and Hanna threatening to bring rain and wind to Florida, some are deciding not to travel to the state, or even within it, this long holiday weekend.

With storms approaching both sides of the state, some local hoteliers have seen cancellations. Others report fewer bookings than a year ago.

Yet, the weekend could still be pretty strong, with many of the state’s east coast residents expected to drive here and stay a few days to get away from the hustle and bustle over there.

“We’ve gotten some reservations, but most of the hotels are kind of expecting a lot of walk-ins,” said Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer. It’s seen as the last chance to vacation before the season ends.

Even if the storms steer away from the state, the forecast here shows rain and thunderstorms.

“We actually have seen a slight slowdown this week due to the weather. Our bookings are down about 5 percent from what they typically are for Labor Day weekend,” said Dina Craig, communications specialist for Sunstream Hotels & Resorts.

Sunstream has five resorts in Southwest Florida — the Bellasera and Park Shore in Naples and the Gull Wing, DiamondHead and Pointe Estero on Fort Myers Beach.

Despite having fewer bookings and some cancellations, the resorts expected occupancy rates of 85 to 95 percent for tonight. Friday wasn’t as busy and neither is Sunday.

“We are seeing more one- and two-night stays this weekend, rather than three,” Craig said.

Weather isn’t the only factor hurting tourism this weekend. Though they’ve fallen from their peak in July, gas prices are still about $1 a gallon more than a year ago. A tough economy also has more people staying home to save money.

“Whether it’s a dozen eggs or a loaf of bread, everybody is realizing that everything is costing a little more,” said Gregg Laskoski, managing director for AAA Auto Club South in Tampa.

Nationwide, travel is expected to be down 1.1 percent, with an estimated 34.4 million Americans taking a trip at least 50 miles from home this weekend, according to AAA.

In the Southeast, travel was forecast to be down 0.6 percent from a year ago. About 1.9 million Floridians, nearly 1 million Georgians, and 622,000 Tennesseans are expected to take a vacation. Most will drive.

AAA’s projections, based on a survey of more than 2,000 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, were made before Gustav and Hanna became tropical storms. Plans could easily change with the two storms edging closer toward Florida.

“I think there is going to be a certain degree of nervousness, just knowing that this storm, Gustav, could be a Category 3 hurricane when it gets into the Gulf of Mexico,” Laskoski said.

If AAA’s predictions for Labor Day travel ring true, it would be the third time in a row that holiday travel has declined this year. It was down for Memorial Day weekend and Fourth of July, mostly because of the higher gas prices, Laskoski said.

Despite the higher gas prices and the looming storms, some local hotels still expect to see the same amount of business as last year — and even more.

At the Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa, more visitors have booked rooms than last year, general manager Rick Medwedeff said. After a $200 million renovation, the Gulf-front resort is getting more business from groups this year.

“We’ve had a great summer. The months of June and July we ran in the upper 80 percentile from an occupancy standpoint, primarily driven by conventions,” Medwedeff said. “We do a lot of convention business.”

At the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Estero, there were cancellations earlier in the week. But bookings picked up again after Gustav started heading away from Florida.

“We are pretty full,” said Joe Thompson, director of sales and marketing.

“If they see rain, they’ll stay away,” he said. “If they see nice weather, they’ll come.”

Gustav has been the only real “hiccup” this summer, which has been busier than last year, Thompson said.

Though most Labor Day travelers are coming from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and other parts of Florida’s east coast, there will be more international visitors in town this weekend too with the euro so strong against a weak U.S. dollar.

“We’ve had an increase all year with international guests, particularly from Germany and the UK. It’s a good economy for them.”

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