A Special Background Report On Trends in Industry And Finance
U.S. TOURIST SPOTS are mostly jammed this summer.</br></br>The post-recession surge in consumer buying isn't played out yet, resorts say. "People have money to spend, and if they don't, they're using plastic," says John Parisi, general manager of Margate Four Seasons Lake Front Resort in New Hampshire. Tourist traffic is about 10% stronger than last year's at Miramar Hotel in Santa Barbara, Calif. Holiday World, a theme park in Indiana, enjoyed a 27% jump in June traffic -- despite an admission price of $7.95, up from $6.25 last year.</br></br>But such gains aren't universal. Sea World traffic in Southern California was lower in May and June than in the same months last year. Because of the strength this year of the U.S. dollar, foreign resorts may be drawing some business away from the U.S. "This is the hottest year we've had for people going overseas," says an executive of Prescott Travel, a Chicago agency.</br></br>Most U.S. resorts say the outlook for fall is bullish. "No question about it," says a Newport (R.I.) Travel Center official. "The crowd will stay strong."</br></br>---