Holiday Weekend Travel

Many people will be visiting Shreveport-Bossier this Labor Day weekend and local hotel reservation books are proof. The Best Western is 90% occupied for Saturday and the manager expects that number to climb. "A lot of times people leave town, especially from Texas coming down to gamble leave at the last minute and that brings us a lot of business," explained Derek Donnally, General Manager, Shreveport Ramada Inn. Even though Jerry Bulter is going to drive his family to Texas for the holiday weekend he admits, he`s still feeling the pain at the pump. "Look at my truck, I have an Expedition and it costs about $75 to fill the tank up, so it would stop me from driving a lot and doing a lot of traveling," said Jerry Bulter. There is an added perk for those hitting the road, a slight dip in gas prices. "Surprised it didn`t spike right before, just so they could get more because they know people are going to be driving, and they want to make money for whatever reason but I`m glad to see them finally down," admitted Tina Williams. Those lower prices could be part of the reason more people are heading into town. The Shreveport-Bossier Tourist Bureau says bookings are slightly up from last year and they hope that trend continues through the winter holidays. As for Bulter, he`s happy to have a little more money burning in his pocket.