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High air fares and a weak dollar are leading summer travelers to rethink their vacation destinations.

Several Southwest Florida travel agencies are reporting lower numbers of customers traveling to Europe, where the unfavorable exchange rate for the U.S. dollar can make American travelers cringe.

“Travel to Europe is a little slow. Air fare is expensive, and the exchange rate of the dollar over there doesn’t help,” said Barry Biesterfeld, manager of the CI Travel office on Neapolitan Way in Naples.

He estimates a 40 percent drop in independent European vacations and non-cruise packages sold compared to last summer. However, the number of European cruises the agency sold for the summer months held steady this year.

The allure of the cruise is that it is all-inclusive – no surprise with the hotel bill at the end of a stay, or with the check after dinner.

Packages that avoid air fare and cars are most popular, Biesterfeld said, especially closer destinations like Mexico and the Caribbean.

Lee McCarthy, owner of Mad Travel in Naples, observed a 15 percent dip in his agency’s sales of European non-cruise vacations this summer.

“We’re being told industry-wide that people are staying closer to home – people have curtailed a lot of trips to Europe,” McCarthy said.

“Largely, we haven’t been affected too much. But with Europe, I can definitely tell you that’s down. Some people are putting off for a year or two hoping the dollar gets stronger. It’s magnified due to other (economic) situations,” he added.

The problem America faces today is that the air travel system is in steep decline. This isn’t a problem solely for the aviation community, but for business across America.

Air fare, not the destination, is the trouble spot, said Michelle Forte, owner of Gulfshore Travel in Naples.

So destinations like South America, where a traveler’s dollar can stretch further, are growing in popularity, Forte said.

“Anything with air fare is kind of tough. It can definitely make the difference if someone goes (on a trip) or not. As soon as we look at the air fare, it affects so much,” Forte explained of sitting with customers to plan vacations.

With air travel, there are increased ticket prices because of fuel and luggage surcharges. There are staffing reductions at airlines, such as the 7,000 full-time employees that American Airlines announced on July 3 would lose their jobs before the end of the year, in addition to more crowded planes due to a reduced numbers of flights.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported in April that year-to-date, nearly 25 percent of flights in the country arrived late, and 21 percent departed late, compared with 17 percent and 14 percent in 2002.

“These air travel problems are having a devastating impact on both business travelers and the tourism industry. Increasing the cost and time of business or leisure travel is a sure way to make the economic downturn worse,” said Nydia M. Velázquez, D-New York, chairwoman of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business, in a June press release.

Roger Dow, president and CEO of the Travel Industry Association, a national nonprofit that represents the travel and tourism industry, also spoke before the Committee on Small Business that day.

He shared with the representatives the results of a seven-day survey of more than 1,000 air travelers in May 2008, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates and The Winston Group.

“The survey revealed that deep frustration among air travelers led them to avoid an estimated 41 million trips during the 12 months preceding the survey. TIA estimates that represents a $26 billion loss in consumer spending to the U.S. economy,” Dow said.

In the luxury market, travelers are turning to private jet tours to better accommodate their schedules.

“There are a lot of trends toward private jet travel to avoid long lines and security,” said Karen Pickrum, director of sales and marketing for high-end travel agency Betty Maclean Travel in Naples.

Like spokesmen for other Naples agencies, she said cruises to Europe are still big sellers because they navigate around the problem of the dollar fluctuation by providing everything on board.

The Naples-area’s demographics, said Forte of Gulfshore Travel, are in favor of big-ticket items – and that’s good news to keep business afloat.

With fewer middle-income customers walking in the door, Forte relies on travel-loving retirees to stay in business.

“Middle-class people may be struggling, but wealthy people will always have money for a travel budget,’’ Forte said. “And with a senior market, if they have their health and money, they just want to go.”