Video: Grays Harbor hopes high gas prices will bring tourists

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WESTPORT, Wash. – Businesses in Grays Harbor County are hoping high gas prices will help bring more tourists to town.

Eileen Kord has already seen the high prices bringing in new customers.

"We ask a lot of people 'Where are you from?'" she said. "Instead of getting people from Idaho or Canada and all that - you get people from Olympia, Aberdeen even."

The county is banking on the price of gas boosting tourism. It's spending $120,000 on commercials that sell Grays Harbor as a getaway where you can visit the beach or the rain forest, all within one tank of gas from Seattle.

"Take your money you were going to put in your gas tank and can't afford, and start vacationing on a local level," said Barbara Smith, county spokesperson.

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The county is banking on the price of gas boosting tourism.

There's no Disneyland in Grays Harbor County, and a place like Westport is still 130 miles from Seattle. But the county remains on the radar as a vacation spot for many.

"People get dropped off down here and go 'Whoa, I can drop a crab pot, jump on a boat, walk down the dock,'" Kord said.

Grays Harbor County spends $150,000 on marketing.The advertisements are paid for with hotel and motel taxes.