GAYLORD -- Barb Waldorf didn't go to the office last week, but not by choice.
There wasn't any work to do at Long's Canoe Livery, where reservations for summer canoe trips on the Manistee River are down to a trickle this spring. Fewer repeat customers are calling the Crawford County business, said Waldorf, the owner.
"I don't have any more than half a dozen reservations," she said. "Our Saturdays in July and August are almost always full and people call ahead to make sure they can get a place, but that's just not happening."
Waldorf's worries resonate throughout northern Michigan's tourism landscape. Gasoline prices are headed toward $4 per gallon, unemployment rates remain high and the state's housing crisis drags on, so businesses both big and small that count on strong summer travel are bracing for tourism turbulence.
Waldorf said she'll need some good weather, plus plenty of last-minute bookings and walk-in paddlers, to keep her business going through the season.
"It's really hard when you don't see the people who've been coming for eons," she said.
Even the state's traditional tourism beacons like Mackinac Island are feeling the pinch. Marvin May, whose family has sold fudge and candy on the island for generations, expects visitor numbers to be soft again this year after business dropped about 10 percent last summer.
"I don't think it's been any different than things have been on the mainland," May said. "When the economy's good we do well, and when it's down we don't ... I haven't seen anything that would indicate an upward spiral."
The news is the same at Michigan's state parks, where officials reported spotty demand for early reservations.
"We're down 4 percent from last year at this point," said Harold Herta, of the parks and recreation division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Cancellations jumped by 2 percent last week when gas prices spiked, Herta said.
Other segments of the state's tourism mix also are challenged. Advance bookings are about on par for rounds of golf at both The Natural and Marsh Ridge golf courses in Gaylord, said owner Larry Bowden, but it's not the sunniest summer on the horizon.
"I don't think it will be an exceptionally strong season with the economy in Michigan and high gas prices, but I think it will be a decent season," he said.
Turnout and revenues for courses in Gaylord's golf Mecca will depend on whether widespread special promotions draw locals onto the courses, along with short-distance visitors.
"Our hope, and what we're working on, is to attract the customers who only have to drive from one gas tank away," Bowden said. "They may want to stay close to home, but I think they want to take vacations."
Jim and Jo English, of Kalamazoo, agree. They spent much of this week in Gaylord for golf lessons at Treetops Resort and shopping adventures in town.
"It's the only place I know with the quality of lessons I was looking for," Jim English said.
The couple spent about $2,000 this week for lodging, golfing, shopping and fine dining. The retired couple said the poor economy and high gas prices won't keep them from traveling, but the big hits at the gas pump are a factor.
At least one more golfing trip to Gaylord and one shopping trip to Traverse City are in their summer plans, they said.
"We love it up here. It's beautiful and peaceful," Jo English said.
But others said they are cutting back their travel plans.
"Oh yeah -- you have to," said Dave Murphy of Harrietta, who visited downtown Traverse City with his wife on Saturday. "We'll not go as many places, or we'll stay closer to home...I think it affects everybody."
Sharyl Wilcox, of Port Huron, said she's dealing with higher travel prices by leaving her truck at home in favor of their family's more fuel-efficient car.
"We swap our vehicles ... you don't want to, but we have to," Wilcox said. "It costs a lot to get up here."
Some northern Michigan industries depend almost entirely upon out-of-towners through the summer months, including Great Northern Rentals, a vacation home and cabin rental company.
"We are really hoping that in Michigan we can hold steady. I don't think we'll see growth," said owner Pam Quinn.
She rents vacation homes near golf courses around Gaylord, along with near-water and waterfront spots on Torch Lake, Burt Lake, Otsego Lake and Lake Arrowhead. Repeat customers and those looking for specific dates booked about half their properties for the summer, Quinn said.
Others remain upbeat, but acknowledge it could be a stormy season for tourism interests. The National Cherry Festival typically can count on a banner year when the Blue Angels flight team headlines its opening weekend, but that's no guarantee this year, festival Executive Director Tom Menzel said.
"If people lose confidence and think it's going to get worse, then I think it would impact us," Menzel said.
Deborah Brown, general manager of the Holiday Inn West Bay in Traverse City, said the hotel's advanced reservations remain strong for signature summer events like the Cherry Festival and the Traverse City Film Festival.
The mid-July Horse Shows by the Bay equestrian event in Williamsburg also generated early reservations, she said.
"Going forward, everyone expected things to fall off a little bit because of the gas (prices)," Brown said. "We're not really feeling that."
But business travel numbers are down, she acknowledged.
"The only area that tends to be a little softer is meetings, but that's just the economy," Brown said. "People that might have had three or four business meetings a year might only be having one or two."
Other business owners said they're seeing both sides of the coin. John Peal, owner of Torch River Marine at the south end of Torch Lake, said all his slips are full for the summer and most of their boat rentals are already booked, especially for the popular July 4 weekend.
But Peal also said interest and demand aren't running as deep as most years, as there's a noticeable difference in the waiting list for available boat slips. The list is shorter than usual this year, he said.
"I've had as many as 200 boats on a waiting list in previous years," he said.
2008 travel projections
Outdoor recreation/camping down 2-3 percent
Golf (upscale resorts) down 1-2 percent
Gamblingup 2 percent
Shopping down 3-5 percent
Lodging unchanged
Source: Michigan State University CARRS Dept.
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