Gains In Travel

Gains In Travel

Reported by State 1 Richmond—Most segments of the Virginia travel industry registered 'generally good 'gains* the first nine months ’ of 1965, Irby N. Hollans, Jr., director of travel development for the Virginia State Chamber of Commerce, said today. t Good weather and an absence of early fall storms also made September "better" than its 1 comparable 1964 month* he 1 said. Twenty-three of the State Chamber’s 34 widely scat1 tered "Monthly Travel Baro1 meter Reporters* indicated increases for the three quar1 ters of 1965 over the same 1 1964 period ranging from .4 of one percent to 34 percent. Two reports stated one percent to 17 percent. Some travel attractions closely allied to the Civil War Centennial observance noticed a “slackening" effect as the summer months passed and at i» least one report was received ‘ to the effect “the Civil War celebration is now over*. Interstate 95 along eastern Virginia brought business for some segments of the travel ^industry down as much as 17 : percent as Route 1 and 301 businesses felt the effect of 1 the first full travel season with ■ a completed and competing interstate highway, Hollans ' said. All but one of the National I Park Service Areas in Virginia posted gains for the 1 first nine months of this year and State Park facilities operated at capacity. Good Sep^ tember, 1965 weather saw ex1 tended useage above Septem1 ber, 1964, he said. ' “It would appear that the ; 1965 travel season has been a good one,” the State Cham' ber travel spokesman said. . waste disposal systems and ; other facilities, and provide • 18,000 farm families with cred it needed to secure theirfootHhold on the land. : With this expanded authority we can be far more ef. fectlve in helping rural com1 munities and family farmers \ obtain needed resources, build r their economic strength. We 1 must cease looking to the >-cities for solutions to rural - problems. We must work to 1 make rural America strong. 1