OTTUMWA — Even in a bad economy some people still want to travel, but maybe not too far from home.

“Everyone is very aware of the economy, but they are not giving up travel,” said Nancy Landess, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office. “It’s an opportunity to make memories with your friends and family.”

Landess said there are a few trends in travel and tourism this year. People are planning to travel closer to home, taking shorter trips and looking for value in their vacations.

Many people are looking for travel bargains, promotions, discounts or specials as ways to save money but still take a vacation.

“Everybody is always trying to get the very cheapest airline tickets they can,” said JeanAnn Ross, a AAA Iowa independent travel agent in Ottumwa and owner of Journeys by JeanAnn. “People should travel now while it’s still in that mode of being competitive.”

There are some good deals for cruises in Alaska and the Caribbean, Walt Disney World offers different deals and there are affordable rates for flights to Europe, Ross said.

Staying closer to home and taking shorter trips are trends that began last summer because of high gas prices. It looks like gas prices this summer won’t be as high, but those trends will likely continue this summer because of a downturn in the economy, Landess said.

There are many Iowans traveling within the state, but the Iowa Tourism Office is also marketing to tourists in Chicago, Minneapolis and surrounding states.

According to a poll conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media last month, the number of Americans taking vacations will be down this summer, and about one-third of those surveyed said they have already canceled at least one trip this year because of financial concerns, The AP reported.

The poll also found that 20 percent of those planning a trip this summer will stay closer to home due to economic worries, and about 23 percent will stay with friends and family instead of a hotel.

Ross said she doesn’t see these trends here.

“I haven’t had a slowdown; I’ve seen lots of people who are still vacationing in this area,” Ross said. “There are still people who want to travel and have the means to travel.”

Larry Northup, president of Ottumwa Coaches, a group bus travel company, said he doesn’t expect a huge decrease of travelers this summer either.

“People want to travel no matter what and it’s that time of the year,” he said.

Ottumwa Coaches does charter transportation for pre-formed groups to the destination of their choice and also plans packages for pre-formed groups. The groups range in size from 25-40 people.