When Airfares to Florida are $800 minimum and gasoline $9.00 a gallon, who will vacation in Orlando? (transporting)

[total_genius]

I see a very near future that leisure travel to places like Disney is going to be so expensive that only the very rich will be able to go. This will occur in the very near future, I suspect.

Will foreign travelers bail us out and keep the 130,000 Hotel Rooms full and Theme Parks busy, or will it be a bankrupt ghost town?

Tell us how you see Tourism in greater Orlando in the era of Peak Oil?

[DailyJournalist]

This will be a problem that Orlando and Florida as a whole will have to face soon. The economy of Florida is based almost completely on tourism, we are a huge version of Jamaica. The politicians do not care to enhance the lives of Florida's workers and diversify the economy so that we dont totally rely on tourism. If tourism deminishes in Florida then what is left? Nothing!

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by DailyJournalist

This will be a problem that Orlando and Florida as a whole will have to face soon. The economy of Florida is based almost completely on tourism, we are a huge version of Jamaica. The politicians do not care to enhance the lives of Florida's workers and diversify the economy so that we dont totally rely on tourism. If tourism deminishes in Florida then what is left? Nothing!

As much as I hate to say it, the only thing that will save Florida is drilling for oil.

[dbansal]

Originally Posted by total_genius

I see a very near future that leisure travel to places like Disney is going to be so expensive that only the very rich will be able to go. This will occur in the very near future, I suspect.

Will foreign travelers bail us out and keep the 130,000 Hotel Rooms full and Theme Parks busy, or will it be a bankrupt ghost town?

Tell us how you see Tourism in greater Orlando in the era of Peak Oil?

Oil is in a bubble situation right now, it will pop. If prices continue to rise demand will plummet, it is already coming down. The marginal cost of producing a barrel of oil is around $50-$75, it is just inflated due to speculation. People are pretty reluctant to give up their vacations, and so far tourism has held up. If prices did go significantly higher and remained there it would obviously have an impact. Already Hawaii is supposedly being impacted. The entire US economy would go into depression at that price really. I don't think we're going to get to that point however.

[Crane's Rooster]

If and when Gas reaches that price our entire country will be in deep trouble if there are no transportation alternatives in place. To the average working family vacation will be the furthest thing on their mind if prices reach that level. At that point, a gallon of gas will be higher than the national minimum wage. People who lived in the suburbs and commuted to work would be spending almost half their pay checks just to get to work. At that point the government would have to choose between either subsidizing the oil companies to make gas prices affordable for the average consumer or put the money into social subsidies to help people put food on the table. You have to remember that the price of EVERYTHING increases with the cost of gas due to our country's dependence on oil. Grocery bills would skyrocket to make up for the cost of transporting the goods to market. If we don't have mass transit options and don't end urban sprawl by the time gas reaches that price the floor could fall out. Disney and Universal wouldn't be the only companies laying off and hotel rooms wouldn't be the only empty residential spaces. Let's just hope we get it together before that day gets here other wise the Magic Kingdom will literally be a fantasy land for most us who could only dream of taking a vacation.

[total_genius]

The question is about Orlando Tourism in an energy related recession.

[Crane's Rooster]

Originally Posted by total_genius

The question is about Orlando Tourism in an energy related recession.

The question goes well beyond tourism in Orlando. If we see those prices without pay keeping pace there will be virtually no tourism market anywhere. Those types of prices in the near future will not result in a mere recession, you're looking more at a full scale depression or potential collapse.

[TXRyan23]

Originally Posted by dbansal

People are pretty reluctant to give up their vacations

We gave up our vacation last year for the most part. We were going to head down to the Keys but decided that with gas prices and the extremely high price of the hotels down there that we would just visit my wifes mother in Louisiana.