By Charles Leocha

Travel columnist

updated 1:48 p.m. ET May 12, 2006

With gasoline prices soaring over the past few months, several destinations and travel organizations that depend on automobile travel to prosper have begun offering gasoline voucher programs to encourage visitors. Some of these initiatives are dusted-off versions of promotions from last year, when the travel industry was faced with a similar fuel scenario as the summer travel season loomed. Others are new.

The interesting thing is how infrequently programs like this are offered. It seems that most destination managers believe that the American public will keep on truckin’ despite higher fuel prices. And they’re probably right. If history is any guide, Americans can be expected to increase their travel, not curtail it. Go figure.

The same seems to be true in Europe. During a recent trip to Italy, where gasoline averages more than $6 a gallon, I was stuck in massive traffic jams on the superhighways connecting Rome, Florence and Bologna. Similarly, in England, so many drivers want to get into London that the city has implemented a special toll program.

It seems cars inspire free-spending devotion. Still, some destinations and organizations have created promotions offering gasoline rebates and vouchers to encourage travelers to pay them a visit. Each program has a different collection of requirements. If you follow the rules, the reward is free fuel and, in most cases, a bit more.

1. Branson, Missouri. Visitors presenting $40 worth of gas receipts dated within two days of arrival in Branson will be rewarded with a “Gas Buster” discount card. The card is worth $50 and is accepted at more than 50 Branson-area businesses. Just bring your gas receipts to the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center.

2. Aspen, Colorado. What could be better than free gas and free activities in this tony mountain town? Guests who book at least two nights at a participating property through Stay Aspen Snowmass will receive a voucher for up to $50 in free gas at The Aspen Store, two free passes for a scenic bus ride to the Maroon Bells (a $14 value), two free bicycle rentals for a day, free parking at your lodging property and a free pass to the Aspen Recreation Center.

3. Bedandbreakfast.com. This marketing organization has created a promotion that offers gasoline-based vouchers at 40 participating properties. For instance, the Inn at Harbor Hill Marina, in Niantic, Conn., near Mystic Seaport and Mystic Aquarium, offers a gas rebate of $25 for midweek visitors who stay two nights or more. The Inn at Starlight Lake in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains offers $25-$50 as a gas rebate for visitors saying two to four nights, excluding holidays. Other B&Bs from California to New Hampshire have similar gas promotions, generally good for about $25 worth of fuel.

4. South Dakota. In South Dakota’s “Twenty Bucks for the Road” program, the state will give a $20 coupon for ethanol to drivers arriving from the nearby states of Kansas, Illinois, Texas, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. The coupons are redeemable only in South Dakota. The state is one of the largest producers of ethanol, so this promotion benefits both tourism and one of South Dakota’s biggest industries. The initial response to this promotion has been overwhelming; the state was expecting to distribute no more than 3,000 vouchers and more than 12,000 vouchers have already been requested.

5. Hotels.com. This giant hotel booking site has launched a program rewarding travelers who book two nights or more online from May 1 to May 29 for stays through July 10. Travelers will receive up to $30 back by mail-in rebate, and the rebate form is right on the Web site.

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