Resort cities offer free fuel as latest tourist attraction

As prices rise, gasoline giveaways becoming common

PORTLAND, MAINE - Resort towns worried that high gas prices will keep visitors away are offering an incentive: a free tank of gas.

Towns are tapping into motorists' angst over high gas prices during the summer tourism season to offer encouragement to drive a little farther. For some, the promotions have been so successful that they're becoming a summer tradition.

California's Big Bear Lake recently extended its spring promotion — a $25 gas voucher — for the entire summer because it was so successful.

"It's a good incentive, especially considering gas prices in southern California," said Dan Dunning, who lives in Irvine, Calif., 90 miles away.

Such gas giveaways have become an increasingly popular marketing tool as gas prices continue to rise, said Justin McNaull of the American Automobile Association.

Gas prices surged an average of 8 cents a gallon over the past two weeks, with the average for all three grades hitting $2.24 a gallon Friday, said Trilby Lundberg, who publishes the Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations.

"Gas prices are certainly something that people talk about. Even if high gas prices play a comparatively small part of your overall travel costs, some people perceive them as a much larger factor than they actually are," McNaull said.

Gas giveaways are an effective outreach tool because they show that the tourism industry empathizes with cost-conscious travelers, said Cathy Keefe, spokeswoman for the Travel Industry Association of America in Washington.

In spite of the gas expense, AAA has forecast the July 4th weekend will be the most highly traveled holiday weekend ever, with 40.3 million people traveling more than 50 miles away from home, 84 percent of them by car.

The Travel Industry Association first identified the trend toward free gas cards in 2001, when gas prices were high and the economy was stagnant. Some resorts kept the promotions in place, while others bring them back whenever gas prices spike.

In Bethel, Maine, a "Tanks for the Memories" promotion gives travelers $20 cash for gas for staying with participating innkeepers. In Colorado, Aspen is giving visitors $50 in gas vouchers. In West Virginia, people who booked a visit to Snowshoe Mountain by June 22 were rewarded with $25 in their "Fill Up Your Summer With Fun" promotion.

Bethel, Snowshoe, Aspen and Big Bear Lake are all home to ski resorts, but they'd like to get people to visit in the summer, as well.

Robin Zinchuk of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce said there's more to the town than Maine's Sunday River ski resort. There's also golfing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing and plenty of hiking in the mountains of western Maine.

The gas promotion was designed to grab the attention of travelers headed to Maine's rocky coast and give them a nudge to drive inland, she said.

Resorts aren't the only ones getting into the act. Others include some auto rental chains, hotels.com and BedandBreakfast.com.

Source: DAVID SHARP - Associated Press