New Hampshire’s tourism industry is gearing up for a strong Independence Day holiday weekend.
The state tourism forecast, produced by the Institute for New Hampshire Studies, calls for more than 900,000 visitors over the three-day weekend, spending over $140 million.
Those numbers would be in line with the state's overall summer forecasts, which project a 3 percent rise in the number of visitors and the amount of money those visitors will spend over last year. Those forecasts are slightly higher than other recent projections.
Mike Somers, president of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, says a strong Fourth of July weekend would be more good news for the industry. “We had a great winter, spring has been very kind and so far this summer’s been pretty nice,” he said. “Obviously everyone’s very excited; [there’s] a lot of anticipation for a busy holiday weekend.”
Analysts say the increased amount of tourism is due in part to a stronger job market and gas prices that remain lower than those of recent years.
AAA of Northern New England is expecting New England travel to exceed national averages over the three day weekend.