National surveys say that many Americans are thinking twice about taking summer vacations, apprehensive about what the future holds -- if the recession hasn't hit them hard already.

But people in Utah's tourism industry are cautiously optimistic they can buck the trend, citing two factors -- international travelers, who seem far more unwilling than Americans to sacrifice their vacation plans; and the relatively low price of gasoline, which makes Utah an attractive destination for road trips from the state's primary markets in California, Colorado, Arizona and Las Vegas.

"Even with gas prices above $4 per gallon last year, we had the best year we've had in a decade," said John Holland, owner of the Bryce Valley KOA campground in Tropic and a southern Utah representative on the state Board of Tourism Development.

"Now, with lower fuel prices, the economy stinks and people are afraid. But our business is exactly where it was," he added. "I think Americans are going to travel. People feel it's an innate right to travel. You have to get away, to get stimulation away from your day-to-day existence. Amid all the bad news, folks are still traveling and still showing up. We're full for Memorial Day."

Nationally, however, a mid-April poll for The Associated Press by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media suggested fewer Americans will travel this summer and that one-third had already canceled a trip.

The poll said only 42 percent of Americans were planning a trip this summer, down from 49 percent in May 2005. Among those planning to travel, 20 percent said they would stay closer to home because of economic worries. Another 23 percent planned to stay with family or friends to save money.

Reluctance to travel, according to the poll, was greatest among those 65 and older (only 34 percent said they plan to do so) and people with incomes under $50,000 (about 33 percent). By contrast, two-thirds of respondents earning more than $100,000 expected to travel; 18 percent of those said discounts were enticing them to take fancier trips than usual.

For Ken Foster, a consultant and University of Utah adjunct associate professor of communication, the economic downturn is clearly a "psychological recession" driven by fear. "Consumers are worried about spending. The contraction in retail spending is far greater than the contraction in income."

Consequently, he said at last week's Utah Tourism Conference, businesses can help them get past the fear factor by offering deals to middle-class customers and positioning travel as a life-enriching experience that strengthens family bonds.

"Because of nervousness about their jobs and work, people will take a vacation," he told the gathering. "You are in a fascinating arena to relieve lives of fear and the humdrum of the recession. You can come to the rescue. I hope your advertising shows you can rescue emotions, the souls of people who feel beat up by events of the past 1½ years."

Like KOA operator Holland, Moab Area Travel Council Executive Director Marian DeLay is heading into summer with confidence despite the economic uncertainty.

She pointed to visitor numbers at Arches National Park. Through the end of April, the park has attracted 7.3 percent more visitors than a year ago. And 2008 was a record year at Arches, with 928,000 visitors, 200,000 more than in 2004.

"That's a significant increase in light of everything that's going on," said DeLay, citing an influx of visitors from Colorado. "People in cities are getting out to places close by where there is still value added. People can mountain bike on how many trails around here? And they never have to pay a dime to get out there. You can hike for free all day. You can bike for free all day.

"Utah is still a great place to vacation," she added. "It didn't change because the [stock] market changed."

Although visitation at Arches and Zion National Park is up, the numbers for Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon appear to be down slightly. Notes on the Park Service Web site indicate, however, that problems with counting equipment could be yielding inaccurate numbers, a possibility supported by the observations of people such as Holland and Bruce Fullmer, Garfield County Travel Council's tourism and marketing director.

"Last year was the best year ever for Garfield County tourism," Fullmer said, shrugging off Park Service figures that show visitation to Bryce Canyon through the end of March being down 9.7 percent from a year ago. "January through April is our slowest period. But my transient room tax revenue [on room rentals] is up 30 percent over last year."

While pitching how easy it is to drive to Bryce Canyon from the Wasatch Front -- "a tank of gas will almost get you down there and back," he said -- Fullmer fully expects international travel to exceed 2008 totals at Bryce Canyon.

"Those people bought packages before the recession hit," he said. Added Lance Syrett, owner of Ruby's Inn, the main lodging facility near Bryce: "Americans like to think we're tough, but the international traveler is more resilient. A lot of them have six weeks of paid vacation a year, so they're going to go somewhere."

His perspective is shared by Charlie DeLorme, economic development director in San Juan County, where foreigners accounted for 72 percent of all visitors last year.

"Those numbers are still solid," he said, citing a 15 percent increase in visitation so far this year. "There are still some real bargains within a day's drive of Las Vegas, Salt Lake City or Phoenix. Granted, people are hurting. But in San Juan County and the Grand Circle [of parks and monuments], we're just not seeing it. People are still coming."

What they aren't doing, DeLorme said, is spending big bucks on mementoes. At Goulding's Lodge in Monument Valley, "cafe and gift shop sales are up, but big-ticket items -- the $4,000 necklace, the $10,000 rug - -- are down. Our general sales tax revenues are down."

Kathy Hanna-Smith also has seen interest in inexpensive vacations, with Utahns and residents of surrounding states calling primarily about things such as tours of Nine Mile Canyon and camping at Goblin Valley State Park.

Northern Utah does not have the national park pull of southern Utah. But Julie Hollist, Cache Valley Visitors Bureau director, said tourism businesses in her area hope to cash in on traffic flowing north to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

"Maybe I'm naive, but I'm optimistic," she said. "We've seen a dip in the winter, but considering the economy and the weather, it's nothing we're panicking over. Here in the West, people are used to saying, 'Get in the car. Let's go.' I don't think people here will abandon their vacations. They may drive rather than fly. We're counting on it."

mikeg@sltrib.com