Summer of staycations: Iowans vacationing a little closer to home

Squeezed for time and money by the economy, more Iowans appear to be vacationing close to home this year.

Early summer travel trends suggest that the recession may not be hurting Iowa's tourist attractions as much as some other parts of the country, thanks to visits from in-state residents.

Experts say “staycations” have become more popular because the economy has left people with less money to spend on vacations and because cutbacks in the workplace have made it harder for some to take longer trips.

“People are taking shorter, more frequent trips and it works out great for Iowa because we have many weekend getaways,” Iowa Office of Tourism spokeswoman Jessica O'Riley said.

Attendance at Iowa's state parks has been strong, according to state parks bureau chief Kevin Szcodronski, although the increase will be muted by flooding at some parks. He said camping nights were up 3-4 percent last year, and many parks are on pace to match or exceed those numbers.

“People in hard economic times just kind of gravitate to the parks to get away from the day-to-day pressure,” Szcodronski said.

The staycation trend definitely appears to be behind the rising attendance in Iowa parks, Szcodronski said,

“People from New Jersey or Nevada do not come to Iowa to use our parks, so we can be pretty sure the increase is coming from in state.”

Iowa's new Honey Creek Resort State Park on Rathbun Lake has enjoyed near-full bookings this summer, Szcodronski said. The Iowa Office of Tourism reported increased attendance at the state's welcome centers in June, O'Riley said, but has not received attendance numbers for July and August.

The Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque has been getting about 1,000 visitors per day this summer, up about 20 percent from last year. Museum spokesman John Sutter said the increase was partly due to the opening of a new addition.

“Over the last three years we have seen more local visitors than the previous three years,” Sutter said, noting 40 percent come from within a 40-mile radius.

Attendance at the Children's Museum of Iowa at the Coral Ridge Mall set a record for the summer, Director Deb Dunkhase said, with July attendance up 34 percent over a year ago.

“I love staycations,” Dunkhase said. “They really help people realize how great the Iowa Children's Museum is. They help people see they don't have to drive great distances to find things they enjoy doing.”

Lynn Snyder of Coralville and her husband, Bob, took a weeklong Iowa staycation this year after hitting many top national tourist destinations in prior years with their two children.

Although they haven't suffered from the economy, the Snyders are watching their dollars. They typically alternate years between one relatively extravagant vacation, and one more economical vacation.

The couple camped in their trailer in Iowa state parks and found no shortage of attractions to visit. They took in the Bridges of Madison County, the Villages of Van Buren, the Knoxville Raceway, John Wayne's birthplace in Winterset and Mamie Eisenhower's birthplace in Boone. They also took in an Iowa Cubs game at Principal Park in Des Moines.

Lynn Snyder, who works as a property manager, enjoyed the beauty of the state parks, saving money on gas and not spending entire days on the road to reach a distant destination. The cost was about one-third less than the couple would ordinarily spend, Snyder estimated.

“There are times when it's nice not to be stressed on vacation,” Snyder said.

Not every visitor destination in Iowa has seen record numbers. Wet weather in June and July kept many visitors away from outdoor attractions like the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines and Lost Island Water Park in Waterloo.

“Our attendance is based almost entirely on the weather,” said Briley Peters, a Lost Island spokeswoman.

Rain also delayed the opening of a new $6 million water park at Adventureland in Des Moines. Sales of season passes, purchased almost entirely by Iowans, was a record, spokeswoman Molly Vincent said.

“Since the water park was open, it's been good,” Vincent said. ”Once the weather got hotter, it was really good.”

One reason the state's tourism economy needs staycationing is that Iowa isn't a big spender on tourism marketing.

With state budget cuts, “We're probably down 20 percent in promotional spending over the past two years,” O'Riley said.

The state used a discount promotion with the Iowa Lottery to try to get more Iowans to visit the state's attractions. O'Riley said certain attractions listed on the Iowa Lottery website are offering discounts to visitors presenting “non-winning” Iowa Lottery tickets.