Vouchers for gas offered to entice travelers

With the high cost of gasoline, many families may be leery of loading up their SUVs and station wagons for long getaways this summer. But what if a resort were to offer a $50 Shell card? Would a $25 gas voucher to Vancouver, B.C., make that shopping trip to Robson Street more enticing? How about a gas rebate for booking at a bed-and-breakfast?

Many travel analysts are predicting a record number of innkeepers, tourism bureaus and even cities will be doing just that this summer and offering other gas-related promos to customers to offset the price increase at the pumps.

In fact, many in the Northwest travel industry are getting a jump on the competition to take advantage of Memorial Day Weekend, the traditional start of summer vacation travel.

On Whidbey Island, the Anchorage Inn, a bed-and-breakfast, will pay $25 to guests who book luxury suites for a midweek, two-night stay, and Whidbey and Camano Islands Tourism is holding monthly drawings for a $50 gas voucher.

Tourism Vancouver offers a $25 (CDN) gas voucher to Washington residents who stay at least one night in the city by May 31. Officials are considering offering the gas-voucher promo again later this summer.

Mt. Bachelor Village, a Bend-area resort, is offering $50 gas vouchers for two-night stays.

"People will be more likely to go the long distance if they are getting reimbursed for gas," said Dave Binder, owner of Anchorage Inn.

Last month, while sipping coffee at his Victorian style home, Binder logged on to his computer to check promotions other bed-and-breakfasts were offering and was startled to find innkeepers offering $20 gas vouchers, 10 percent discounts "to offset fuel cost" and other gas-related promotions.

Binder figured that he better pick up some of the gas tab to be competitive.

"We are seeing more gas vouchers this year," even though, historically, families won't cancel or adjust their getaways much because of a gas-price increase, said Allen Kay, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Travel Industry Association of America, which tracks vacation trends.

Washington State Parks officials report reservations are up for the 5,200 campsites including registration for Recreational Vehicles compared to last year. Many visitors bureaus, including those in Lake Chelan and Long Beach Peninsula, also report a slight increase in bookings at resorts, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts.

The average gas price in the Seattle-Bellevue-Everett area is $3.22 per gallon, about 40 cents higher than the national average, travel agency AAA reported. But members aren't canceling their vacations, though some are planning shorter trips, according to AAA.

Srini Puvvada of Sammamish said his family of four won't take their annual summer trips to visit friends and relatives on the East Coast but instead will take the ferries to Victoria, B.C., and Olympic National Park. "Because gas prices are high, we didn't even travel to Portland this year once. And we also won't be taking the in-laws to Crater Lake," the Microsoft software developer said.

However, tour packages or cities that offer gas vouchers, he said, would make him reconsider. "It gives me an incentive to take longer trips."

Otherwise, there are many vacation spots that don't require more than a tank of gas, so why spend more, said Puvvada.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com