NEW.BRUNSWICK (CBC) - Some business operators in the Saint John area are noticing the impact the price of gas is having on the arrival of tourists in what is usually the height of the summer season in New Brunswick.

"Especially on the previous years, there was more American traffic than what I've seen so far this year," said Theo Faltsetas, owner of the Reversing Falls Restaurant in Saint John. "If I walk through the parking lot, just by the licence plates you can tell there's less this year."

Gas prices, which have risen dramatically over the last year, are making it harder for Americans to make the decision to come across the border, said John Kruse, a tour director with Good Sam Caravan Tours.

"We had several tours that were cancelled in the States," Kruse said. "People are getting to the point where they can't afford it anymore, or they're out of a job or something. There's all kinds of mitigating factors here."

The RV tour company had three tours scheduled to come to Atlantic Canada this summer but they had to be consolidated into one, Kruse said.

Wayne Leeper, who decided to come on the RV tour with his wife, said it may be the last time the couple comes north for a while. In fact, they filled up the vehicle before crossing the border.

After the Americans arrive in New Brunswick they are looking for deals and ways to spend less money, Faltsetas said.

If the trend continues, businesses catering to tourists in the province are going to have to change, said Howard Haines, owner of the Hardings Point campground outside of Saint John.

"We've got to change our marketing strategy," Haines said. "There's no sense in spending money on ads up the eastern seaboard for people who aren't going to spend the gas to drive to you."

Haines said so far this summer there's been about 50 per cent less traffic compared to 2007.

But even with lower numbers arriving by car, there are still a record number of cruise ships arriving in Saint John, said Shirley Elliott, spokeswoman for Tourism Saint John.

"We also have a very strong meetings and convention market. So we don't depend entirely on the rubber-tire traffic," Elliott said.

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