As travelers grapple with economic uncertainty, the leaders of two area visitors bureaus believe there is a prime opportunity to attract guests from throughout the Northeast region.
Allianz Partners’ Summer 2025 Vacation Confidence Index found a rise in “micro-cations,” defined as leisure trips more than 100 miles from home for four nights or fewer.
Furthermore, 43% of people who plan to reduce their travel spending said in April they expect to take shorter trips, according to the 2025 Deloitte Summer Travel Survey.
Chris Barrett, president and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, anticipates a rush of tourists considering cutting back on extravagant trips.
“Guests are much more price sensitive and our thought is for at least this summer that our destination would probably benefit from (someone) who doesn’t want to go to Disney or fly internationally due to costs or other issues,” Barrett said. “Fifty percent of our guests originate from the Philadelphia and New York markets and we feel it’s going to benefit us that guests will want to take shorter trips to more driving destinations. If you delete having to fly somewhere, that’s a substantial savings. And if you’re not visiting a metropolitan area, that’s another savings. Our alternative tends to be more cost effective and efficient.”
Barrett also believes more people from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area may look to the Poconos this summer.
“It’s a very viable market for us, but oftentimes people don’t really vacation in their own backyard,” he said. “They don’t realize what they have in their own backyard and times like this — when the economy is a little different — is usually when people rediscover it and stay more local.”
Barrett added significant projects throughout the past decade-plus made the Poconos region even more attractive to potential tourists.
“Within the last 10 to 15 years, more than $2.5 billion has been invested in our products,” he said. “(We) have a major waterpark — one of the largest in the northeastern seaboard — in Kalahari. There is a lot to do for families.”
While gas prices are down from last year — both locally and at the national level — other factors including tariffs might keep drivers from hitting the road for long distances, according to Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, a fuel monitoring firm.
“I think that’s giving motorists a little bit of a pause,” he said. “While I think it’s still going to be busy, I think we’re seeing more folks probably interested in more last-minute planning. People hadn’t really locked in plans for July 4 and Labor Day. I think there is a little bit of a wait and see.”
As of Thursday, the average price for regular gasoline in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area was $3.17 a gallon — down from $3.63 at the same time last year and $5.17 from June 2022, according to AAA.
The average price of gas across Pennsylvania was $3.24, 11 cents higher than the national average. It’s also higher than several neighboring states: New Jersey ($3.02), New York ($3.10) and Maryland ($3.04), per AAA data.
According to GasBuddy’s 2025 Summer Travel Survey, 69% of Americans plan to take a road trip this summer, slightly lower than the 76% of respondents who planned to travel last summer.
While inflation remains a concern for many households, 47% of respondents report that the cost of gas is not impacting their travel plans. However, cost has emerged as the No. 1 priority for travelers this summer, ahead of factors like destination and accommodations, the survey found.
“I think it’s going to be a busy summer in terms of road trips, but I think Americans are a little jittery over the state of the economy,” De Haan said. “A little economic uncertainty is clouding whether or not they’re going to hit the road and where they’re going to go .I think trade policy is something to keep an eye on as well. That could shake up the economy. There are a lot of headlines this summer that could really move the needle a bit, but I think gas prices this summer are still going to be friendlier than they’ve been since the pandemic. I think most Americans are probably going to see gas prices in the low $3 range for most of the summer.”
Vehicles travel north on Interstate 81 in Dunmore Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Vehicles enter the Interstate 84 on ramp from Interstate 81 in Dunmore Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Vehicles travel on Interstate 81 in Duryea Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
the Scranton Tomorrow Mural Arts Program’s larger-than-life mural titled “The Office: The Story of Us” on the eastern wall of the building at 503 Lackawanna Ave., on Oct. 7, 2023. (TIMES-TRIBUNE / FILE PHOTO)
Employee for Pilot Flying J Don Edwards, of Springbrook, fills up the Pilot Travel Center in PIttston Twp. with ultra low sulfur diesel fuel Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Employee for Pilot Flying J Don Edwards, of Springbrook, fills up the Pilot Travel Center in PIttston Twp. with ultra low sulfur diesel fuel Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Kids ride the Wild Wildebest during the grand opening of Kalahari Resorts and Conventions on Wednesday, July 1, 2015. (Times-Tribune File Photo)
Matt Kizis, a managing member for Travelworld, which has locations in Scranton and Kingston, has noticed increased interest for more localized trips among clients like Cape Cod in the New England area and beaches in New Jersey.
“Demand has been heavy with these trips,” Kizis said. “Some people just want to get away for a weekend and don’t have time to pack an entire suitcase, go to an airport, go through customs and get on a flight. A lot of times life gets hectic and (people) only have three or four days and they look for a cost-conscious, budget-friendly trip. Sometimes they just want to get on a bus and get to their final destination in under four hours and enjoy nice weather, the beach and good food. It’s something to break up the summer.”
Curt Camoni, executive director of the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, noted the organization launched an advertising campaign in May that will run through this month targeting guests from New York and New Jersey as well as those in Northeast Pennsylvania.
“With the uncertainty in the economy, we figured there are going to be a lot of people who don’t know if they can do a big family vacation this year they may have been planning,” Camoni said. “We genuinely feel Lackawanna County is a great, affordable family fun destination, and it is a weekend destination. For our market size, we have an absurd amount of attractions and things to do, and we have free options. We get a lot of people walking around Scranton and going to different locations on ‘The Office’ tour.
“You’re basically paying for a hotel and restaurants — and cost-of-living wise, it’s an affordable place to come. If we can showcase ourselves in a good way, I think people are going to recognize the value and respond. It’s an excellent location for affordable, family fun, and right now that’s what people are looking for.”