Some area business owners said they will benefit if locals stay close and stay on budget.

"It looks like camping is still affordable, so that's great for us," said Janice Teppo, manager at Sleepy Bear Campground, a private facility near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The 165-site campground opens Friday and has 641 reservations for the season, more than the 603 reservations it had at this time last year.

Visitors are generally booking longer stays and plan to bring more family members, Teppo said. "A lot say they can't afford long trips, but they can afford this," she said.

Reservations at Michigan's state parks aren't benefitting from the same trend.

"We're down about 6 percent as this point," said Harold Herta, chief of resource management for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. If that number holds, it could mean $1.56 million in lost revenue, he said.

DeAgostino said he sees signs at his resort that the economy may be turning around. The resort is taking advance reservations for business conferences and seminars into next year, a sign that companies may be emerging from the economic storm.