Will tourists visit the beach this year?

By: Michelle Carolla | SCNow
Published: May 27, 2008

For the past few weeks, we brought you a number of stories about what Grand Strand businesses think about this year’s vacation season. This time we wanted to hear from the tourists on what they think about spending this summer.

Even though Jeff Slover and his family decided to take a vacation, they stayed very close to home. The Slover's live about an hour away from Myrtle Beach in Florence.

Their family decided to visit them from Kentucky. "Since it's Memorial Day weekend, we decided, hey, let's go somewhere,” said Slover.

Slover’s wife Courtney said they are cutting costs this year. “We might have one good meal in an expensive restaurant, but that's about it. Everywhere else we’re kinda sticking on the low-budget end."

A recent survey by Consolidated Credit Counseling Services reported nearly 80 percent of Americans polled say they won't travel farther than 1000 miles from home. They cite gas prices, higher airline costs and the down economy as why.

Barbara Lynch is a single mom from Sumter, SC. She and her two kids, and one more on the way, are feeling the economic pinch. She said they won't take an extended vacation this year. She and a friend car pooled to the beach for Memorial Day.

"You look around you see people on the beach, in a couple of months, you might not see nobody because ain't nobody going to be able to afford to come to the beach,” said Lynch.

Lynch and her friend aren't staying overnight either. They opted to save on hotel costs and drive back home. Just one example of how people are looking to save a few vacation dollars this season.

If you choose to go on vacation, there are a few things you can do to save:

One of the first things to do is to create a budget. Know how much you will spend and don't go past that number.
Think about what's most important to your family and plan the vacation around those things.
Don't overspend. Resist the temptation for extras such as all three meals in restaurants and souvenirs that will end up in the closet.
And, if you charge your vacation, work out a plan to pay it back in three months.

There's just a big question mark on the vacation season this year. The Grand Strand will have to wait and see how it plays out.