The effects of rising gas prices on a cityÆs tourism industry can potentially be both positive and negative. The negative effects are the ones we are all most familiar with. With rising costs, some families will have to cut back on their vacations or forgo taking a vacation at all. The costs to run tourism buses and planesùas well as cruise shipsùwill most likely have to rise to accommodate the rising fuel prices, and the higher prices could mean less business for them also.
What are harder to pinpoint are the unseen economies that could pose a danger to the touristùcutting back on vehicle maintenance to compensate for the price of gas, for example. Although there are legitimate economies that pose no danger to the traveler, such as using one engine while taxiing on the runway or removing heavy food carts and oven trays from flights where food will not be served, there are others that could make a travelerÆs vacation his last (Eturbonews, 2004). These creative ways to save money can be threatening, particularly since the tourist generally has no idea when or where these shortcuts are occurring. A cruise ship that starts disinfecting the ship only every third or fourth voyage instead of every voyage submits its passengers to risk of infectious disease. Although many passengers hope that prices will not be raised to compensate for rising gas prices, rising prices are preferable to multiple unseen shortcuts that could compromise passengersÆ health and safety. As an example, a cruise line that saves weight and gas by cutting down the number of lifejackets or lifeboats it carries runs the risk of costing lives. Most passengers would prefer paying a few extra dollars to being without a lifejacket in an emergency. Once a disaster has occurred and a tourism-related companyÆs misdeeds are exposed, the blow to the tourism industry can be significant and hard to recover from quickly.
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