Travel News

New England Works to Rebound from Hurricane Irene for the Fall Travel Season

Image Credit: VA State Parks, via Flickr Creative Commons

Image Credit: VA State Parks, via Flickr Creative Commons

Image Credit: VA State Parks, via Flickr Creative Commons

Hurricane Irene was one of the most costly storms in memory, but businesses throughout New England and the East Coast still hope to revive the fall travel season.

Nearly 200 miles of roads and railroads are impassable in areas, but businesses in the affected communities state that perception remains the issue. Throughout the Northeast, businesses are searching for ways to reach out to travelers, assuring them that they are open and running.

Vermont, the state hardest hit by the hurricane, has launched a concerted cleanup effort. With ruined roads and flooded communities, Vermont is using their Facebook page to offer updates on the repair efforts and relay hope to travelers. “Just sharing the news that Vermont is being put together in a hurry…just in time for foliage,” writes one resident.

Hurricane Irene damage

Norwottuck Rail Trail at the Connecticut River, two weeks after Hurricane Irene. Credit Paul Cooper via Flickr.

In Vermont, the flooding is isolated to a number of road and rail sections. Areas low in the valleys are slowly reopening and advisements on roads are always beings posted on 511vt.com and a community map is being updated through Google.

New Hampshire is ramping up their advertising and promotion to gain business from Vermont travelers looking to skirt the closures and flooding. Businesses are prepping for a possible ‘Vermont effect’ through advertisements and radio announcements. The news has been good so far. New Hampshire is surprisingly showing a 4 percent uptick in tourist trade over last year’s Labor Day Weekend, which generated $71 million. Last Friday alone saw a 12 percent increase over last year.

Cancellations are one of the main problems. High cancellations numbers are usually not indicative of any damages to the town. Instead, most cancellations are motivated by fear or doubt. In Connecticut, where tourism accounts for nearly 14 percent of the workforce, canceled travel plans have posed a major set back to local businesses.

Beach sites are assumed to be off-limits, but a majority of them are open. The roads remain the problem, so if you can travel to the beach town itself, you should be okay. The Crystal Coast Authority in North Carolina has reported normal booking numbers amongst hotels but a 10 to 15 percent drop in actual visitor numbers.

Looking at airlines, the industry wasn’t as badly hit as originally thought. Irene did shave $200 to $300 million off the profit margins of the top 10 airlines – New York based Jet Blue was already forecasted to lose 15 to 20 percent off its annual earnings – but net earnings from a $400 million ticket tax holiday looks to cushion any windfall.

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By Marc Rodrigo Mejia for PeterGreenberg.com