The Weekly Gazette

AUTO TOURISTS TO SET NEW HIGH MARK
Traffic to Parks and Resorts Biggest in Years.

Washington. - Automobile tourist travel, reported to be expanding by leaps and bounds in virtually all sections of the country, is expected to be the greatest in volume this summer since the vacation season of 1930.

Motor car traffic, as well as rail travel, to the western parks and forests is the heaviest in several years.

New England resort districts report a 35 per cent increase in number of tourists over 1934 and midwestern resort areas have registered the largest vacation merchandise sales since 1929.

Recent advance registrations at national parks exceeded by 40 per cent the attendance of last year.

One travel service official predicts the 1935 domestic "travel industry" will eclipse by more than $300,000,000 the $5,000,000,000 accredited in 1934.

The big increase in automobile sales, widespread advances in retail business and spread of the travel "fever" are indicators of a booming tourist business. More Going Abroad.

Motor vacationing by Americans abroad also gives promise of exceeding the banner year of 1929, according to officials of the American Automobile association. They report that the foreign travel division of the association already has cleared 5 per cent more American cars than in the entire year of 1930.

Travel service experts say one of the outstanding features of European traffic this year is the American invasion of the British isles. Transportation officials report the largest number of Americans in London in seven years and the greatest American travel in history in the provincial districts of Britain.

The new "floating garages" on transatlantic liners are credited with playing an important part in making 1935 the biggest year on record for European motor travel by Americans who take their own automobiles with them. Mostly Small Cars.

Between 75 and 90 per cent of the American automobiles taken abroad for vacation touring are reported to be in the small car field. The importance of economical operating costs abroad, where gasoline prices in several countries are as high as 50 and 60 cents a gallon, have made the small cars particularly popular for European motoring.

A. A. A. officials say the experience of thousands of motorists has demonstrated that a party of three can actually effect economies by traveling in their own car in Europe. This advantage is in addition to freedom of movement and flexibility of schedules afforded by motor transportation.