High gasoline prices don’t stop travelers

BOISE — Average gasoline prices in Idaho on Thursday slipped below $2 a gallon for the first time in seven weeks, but tourism experts said record fuel costs have not deterred travel for vacations or other reasons.

“The pent-up demand over the past couple of years and the general improvement of the economy have people of the mind that, ‘Whatever the price, we’re going to bear it and travel,’ ” state Tourism Development Director Carl Wilgus said.

AAA of Idaho reported the average price of unleaded self-service gas at $1.997 on Thursday, a half-cent lower than Wednesday. That reflected a decline of almost a dime from the record high 2 1/2 weeks ago.

AAA spokesman Dave Carlson credited the reduction in crude oil prices from over $42 a barrel at the time Idaho’s gas prices peaked to $36 a barrel this week as the market loosened with the promise of Saudi Arabia to supply more oil.

Carlson expected prices to drop as much as 15 more cents this summer.

“The $1.85 to the $1.95 range may be where we’ll see prices this summer, but that’s still higher than we’ve ever seen,” he said.

The lower prices are concentrated in the state’s urban areas, but resort communities have not felt the effect of record high prices even during the spring transition from winter to summer recreation.

“It’s usually supposed to be the slow time, but we’ve been really busy,” said Tracey Smith at the McCall Chamber of Commerce.

“People are starting to discover Idaho,” she said. “You can have some substantially exciting vacations up here with rafting and hunting and fishing. You don’t have to plan ahead. You can do your spur of the moment vacations here.”

The Idaho average gas price ranked 11th among the states and was still nearly a dime higher than the national average. Idaho’s average was $1.58 in mid-January.