Although this hasn’t been a great year for the local tourism industry, Pikes Peak-area hotels and attractions are hoping for Labor Day travelers to give the summer a strong send-off.

Chelsy Murphy, public relations manager for the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, said closures and cancellations due to the Waldo Canyon fire took a bite out of tourism during July, the industry’s busiest month, but there was still time for a good finish to the season.

“I feel like it’s this last push it’s the last opportunity to get some of those Texas people and those people who haven’t started school yet,” Murphy said. “We want that last big oomph for the summer, and any increase is positive in our book.”

Steve Ducoff, executive director of the Pikes Peak Lodging Association, said most local hotels are reporting that bookings are slowly coming back after the fire and that Labor Day is looking OK.

“Things are starting to come back. I think ‘flat’ is a good term,” he said.

Nationally, 33 million people will travel 50 miles or more, a 2.9 percent increase from last year, according to AAA, a federation of auto clubs that sell vacations, insurance and lobby on behalf of car owners. That’s the highest level of travel for Labor Day since the start of the recession in late 2007.

A gallon of gas now costs an average of $3.72 nationally, but only $3.52 per gallon in Colorado — six cents more per gallon than at the same time last year. Experts, however, say gas prices could rise slightly by Labor Day weekend.

Steady gas prices are especially important for local tourism, Murphy said, since most visitors drive to the area.

“Gas prices, thankfully, didn’t get as high this summer. That’s always encouraging to see that steady cost of gas before the holiday,” she said.

The overwhelming majority of travelers — 85 percent — plan to drive to their destination. Once there, they will find hotel rooms costing 4 to 6 percent morer than last year.Families planning to get away plan to spend $749, according to an economic model done for AAA. That’s up from $702 last year.

Coloradans, however, are planning to be more frugal, the study showed. State residents plan to spend $596 this year, down from $694 in 2011.

“In the absence of strong economic growth that might fuel a significant boost in travel volume, it is an encouraging sign that Americans continue to prioritize travel,” Bill Sutherland, vice president of AAA Travel Services said in a statement. “Travel is still within America’s discretionary spending budget.”

Of those who plan to travel, 66 percent said their current financial situation would not negatively affect their Labor Day holiday weekend travel plans, 21 percent said they will cut costs in other parts of their budget, 9 percent will shorten their trip and 4 percent will cut transportation costs.

AAA did not include responses from those who do not plan to travel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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