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A Different Kind Of Vacation

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

Stacia Wilkin and her fiance, Jose Valdes, of Orlando, fish off Clearwater Beach Pier on Tuesday.

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By TED JACKOVICS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 6, 2008

A poor economy and higher prices for fuel, food and lodging have travelers re-evaluating vacation plans, Tampa Bay tourism industry officials have learned. The key to success in this year's tourism season will be how well the tourism industry can tap into travelers' perceptions. Here is a sample of what some travelers are thinking these days from interviews at Clearwater Beach and Tampa.

Cyril Brown, Tampa

"I am a merchant seaman, and we call on ports like Houston, New Orleans and Vera Cruz. But when I get home, my wife and I still travel. The economy hasn't bothered us, but we were glad to find a low-cost airline, Allegiant Air, to fly to visit relatives in Chattanooga. I just bought two round-trip Amtrak tickets to Hollywood, Fla., for $115. That beats driving, and it's not tiring on the train."

Stacia Wilkin and Jose Valdes Orlando

"My fiancee, Jose, and I make vacations a priority. Last year we went to Puerto Rico twice and Myrtle Beach twice. I sell time shares all summer, so we traveled in the spring. The economy hasn't hurt yet, but we thought about it and decided to stay in Florida. We drove to Key Largo, Miami, the Everglades, Fort Myers and St. Petersburg. I caught a whiting here; it's lovely."

Susan Perez, husband Ramon and son Moses 31/2, Brandon

"We work as tile setters. We know what gas costs, what stores charge for a sack of rice. We were thinking about going to Cuba. Instead, we go to places near home, like Lithia Springs, Crystal River, Orlando and Clearwater Beach. It's the perfect place. Our other children are in school, and Moses gets to run off some steam during the day."

Oscar Dumas and grandson Mark Manners, Timmins, Ont.,

"I used to come to Clearwater Beach regularly, but haven't been here in some time. When my grandson, who is a college student, wanted to get away on break, we decided to come to Florida. The exchange rate with the Canadian dollar is about even, so there's no real effect on us. We got a good deal on airfare on a flight into Tampa. The sun is out, it's great."

Joshua Fleishman, University of Tampa sports marketing sophomore from Philadelphia

College students always notice the economy. I will work at a camp in Pennsylvania this summer, so I traveled over winter break. I flew from Newark to Guadalajara and Texas and back for $770, scheduling cheaper flights. Instead of just fun in Europe, students take courses there. Here, we get a group to share gas and hotels on road trips.

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