While Triple-A predicts the number of Labor Day travelers will fall, Iowa tourism officials believe our state’s numbers will rise instead. Despite lingering fears over the terrorist attacks and the economy, leisure travel is up three-percent for the year nationwide. Shawna Lode, at the Iowa Tourism Office, says travel elsewhere may be down this holiday, but she says the Hawkeye State will still see a boost. Lode says more people are driving instead of flying, and since Iowa is mostly a “driving destination,” it’ll work out well.Gas prices are averaging a dollar-36 a gallon this Labor Day compared to a dollar-51 a year ago. Lode says there’ll be nearly a-hundred events underway in the state this weekend.Events include: the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant, the Great Iowa Balloon Race over Storm Lake and Artsplash in Sioux City. For details on some of the other events, consult the Iowa Tourism Office’s web site at “www.traveliowa.com”.
