New Hampshire Tourism Looks to Canadians and Nearby New Englanders

Tourism is one of New Hampshire’s biggest industries. In fact, it is number two only to the high tech industry here. This past Memorial Day weekend alone, $76 million was predicted to flow into the state. This is why tourism is important to the state.

Some across the state are worrying about the future of tourism here in the state due to the rising cost of gasoline. Jeanne Shaeen, candidate for U.S. Senate, said that "high gas prices are impacting every corner of the New Hampshire economy.” Addressing specific tourism related issues in Laconia, she said, "as we all know, tourism is a significant part of the economy here in the Lakes Region. Small businesses rely on the influx of tourists who spend money on boat rentals, in water parks and in hotels and restaurants. Large parts of the Lakes economy will be impacted by a downturn in tourist travel.”

Gas will most likely hit $4.00 a gallon sometime this summer. Besides that, what else could happen?

Remember the Old Man of the Mountain?

Between 2002 and 2006, the state Department of Resources and Economic Development reported that the number of riders on the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway decreased 25%. Visitors to the Flume fell 23%. The Old Man on the Mountain crumbled on May 3rd, 2003.

“Anecdotally, we are hearing that business has not been good since the Old Man fell in the communities immediately north of the notch. And frankly, while I was skeptical about the impact right after it happened, I am no longer skeptical,” said Mark Okrant of the Institute for New Hampshire Studies at Plymouth State where he studies tourism trends. “I do believe that the Old Man’s falling has had a negative impact on the visitor traffic north of Franconia Notch.”

Efforts are underway by the Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund to build a memorial for the natural formation. The plan calls for the largest stone ever quarried in North America to be amongst five massive granite rocks that will merge to evoke the outline of the famous old man.

Possible saviors to the high gas prices and the fall of our icon? Canadians and our proximity to major cities.

"We'll have a huge Canadian population this summer. They're already booking a lot of the hotels and rooms around the state, which is great for us," said Brian Warburton of New Hampshire Parks and Recreation. The Canadian dollar has gained nearly 50% against the American dollar in the last five years. Currently, the Canadian dollar is worth just about one American dollar. If you check out the back covers of books at your local bookstore, you’ll notice that the Canadian price of the book is probably the same as the price in American dollars. That might be bad news for Americans wanting to go north, but it is great news for Canadians wanting to come South. With gasoline prices already comparatively higher in Canada and their dollar gaining, New Hampshire is both close and comparatively cheaper for a vacation. Europeans are also seeing vacationing in the Granite State as comparatively cheaper for them as well.

With American families cutting back on their budgets for summer vacations due to the economic slowdown, staying closer to home is looking to be a more viable alternative than going cross-country. Being an hour or so from Boston and less than five from New York City make the picturesque mountains and lakes of New Hampshire more attractive.

With the economic slowdown and gas price crisis at our doorstep, New Hampshire has the ability to overcome. While it might not be a record year, it looks like New Hampshire tourism has the ability to persevere with all that we have to offer. Only the summer will be able to tell.