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By Shanessa Fakour, The Brunswick News, Ga.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News Sept. 03--Labor Day weekend should bring the usual surge of visitors to the Golden Isles for the traditional last weekend of
summer, with a passing hurricane not causing even a ripple to disrupt plans. The Hampton Inn, 2204 Demere Road, St. Simons Island, generally fills all of its rooms at Labor Day, and this weekend is no different, Richard Bullard, general manager, said. "We've been full since last week for Saturday," Bullard said. "We figure that people are coming from around 300 miles. They pretty much know what the weather is projected to do." To keep hotel staff current on weather forecasts, the lobby television stays tuned to the Weather Channel. The news for the Isles has been good. Neither hurricanes Earl nor Fiona has posed a threat to the Georgia coast. Earl passed the coast Thursday and Fiona is headed toward Bermuda. Bullard said visitors likely stay up-to-date on a hurricane's location and feel safe knowing that Earl has bypassed the coast. "Typically, a hurricane doesn't negatively influence travel," said Jessica Brady, spokeswoman for AAA Auto Club South. "More people do the wait-and-see game. (They) watch what's happening, see where things are going with it, and then decide what to do at that point." With largely sunny skies and high temperatures around 90 degrees forecast through Labor Day for the Golden Isles and Earl moving toward the North Carolina and Virginia coasts, some travelers from those areas could be headed here, Brady said. Days Inn and Suites, 60 S. Beachview Drive, Jekyll Island, will sell out its rooms for the weekend to typical last-minute drive-ins, Shirley Rayhon, general manager, said. "Surprisingly, we haven't had a lot of calls or cancellations from the storm, so everyone thinks it's going up north," Rayhon said. "It's a very important weekend. August was very down, compared to last year, so this is really our last busy weekend for the summer, until we go into the shoulder season," Rayhon said. Michael Johnson, general manager of King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort, 201 Arnold Road, St. Simons Island, also sees the weekend as an important end to the summer tourist season. His hotel jumped to 90 percent occupancy this week with last-minute bookings, typical this summer for travelers in a weak economy. "It's a great way to end the summer and move into the fall. I would think that this weekend is very important to all of the shops, restaurants and any accommodations that rely on vacation travelers," Johnson said. --Rip currents continue along coast; weather looks good, 2A ----- To see more of The Brunswick News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Brunswick News, Ga. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail
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