Granite Staters seeing NH first

LINCOLN – Granite Staters have been taking up the invitation this summer to vacation in their backyard, according to state and local tourism officials and operators.

As gas prices began climbing earlier this year, the state Division of Travel and Tourism Department rolled out its Rediscover New Hampshire campaign, inviting residents to take advantage of activities and destinations closer to home. More than 50 businesses statewide have sweetened the lure by offering gas cards and other incentives.

At a morning program yesterday at the Flume Gorge Visitors Center, hosted by Executive Councilor Ray Burton and attended by about 50 people, those involved in tourism in the northern part of the state say they've seen a significant increase in those visiting, particularly from the Manchester and Nashua areas.

"It's really helped us," said Walter Graff, deputy director of the Appalachian Mountain Club. "The numbers at our huts are up about 5 percent and we are seeing more southern tier visitors."

A little over a year ago, said Alice Desouza, director of the DTTD, the state's tourism Web site underwent a dramatic redesign visually and in the type of information available.

The Web site -- www.visitnh.com -- offers itineraries, the ability to book lodging online, a travel planner and a radius search of attractions from any given area.

Unique visits to the site, Desouza said, have doubled in the past year.

"The industry has responded wonderfully," she said, especially with offering gas saving packages to visitors. "The itineraries and the radius search have been very popular. We hope this continues through the fall."

Graff told Desouza that the graphics on the Web site, which depict people hiking and swimming "are stunning" and he said the site has been a help.

"The photos showing people experiencing New Hampshire, such as hiking, has been very helpful to us," he said.

In spite of an abundance of rain this summer, Cannon Mountain manager John DeVivo said the number of visitors in Franconia Notch State Park is up 6 percent and the number of people passing through Echo Lake state beach and the Cannon Mountain tram is up 13 percent.

"Despite the weather and the economy, we are doing fairly well, all things considered," he said.

At the Franconia Notch Chamber of Commerce information center in downtown Franconia, chamber director Barbara Ashley also said she has talked with hundreds of people from the southern part of the state who really are discovering their backyard.

"I'm surprised at the number of people who still ask where the Old Man is," she said, referring to the granite profile and state icon that collapsed in 2003. "At first, I thought it was a joke, but it turns out that these are people who live in the bedroom communities of Manchester and Nashua and work in Massachusetts. They've only been here a few years and they haven't been in touch with this part of the state. They've never realized what was up here and they are taking time this summer to find out what it's all about."

Down the road in North Woodstock, at White Mountains Attractions, inquiries from New Hampshire residents between January to the end of July show a 100 percent increase.

"That's a dramatic increase," said attractions president Jayne O'Connor.

Although the Department of Transportation has reported a decrease in the number of vehicles passing through the tolls, "It shows us that a lot of people (from New Hampshire) don't go through the tolls to get to the White Mountains."

While many visitors come for day trips, O'Connor said those who stay are spending an average of four days and "some come up more than once."

Bruce Hutchings, manager of the Mount Washington Regional Airport in Whitefield, said he has been surprised at the number of people who have flown into the airport this summer. Aviation fuel can cost up to $6.50 a gallon, he said.

"We've had a very busy summer so far," he said. "We've had a tremendous number of people from Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. People have told us that it's cheaper to put in gas in the airplane than to put the family in the car and drive somewhere.'

Hutchings said he talked with a family from New Jersey who usually vacation at a condo in South Carolina.

"They said it was cheaper to put gas in the airplane and spend a week at the Mount Washington (Hotel)," he said.