Posted: Tue, 8 Jun 2010 04:53 PM - 12,222 Readers

By: Catenya McHenry

Many of the vacationing families are trading white sandy beaches for Texas lakes.Travel industy experts are seeing a significant increase in vacationers flocking to Texas instead of the Gulf Coast.

Hotel rooms sales has seen an 8 percent increase over this time last year.

The Travis Lake House is the perfect spot to forget about everything; work, ringing phones, and chores. Entertaining up to 10 people at a time, it sits perfectly along Lake Travis, giving its guests a chance to find peace and quiet they need.

Now that the water is back on Lake Travis , more and more vacation renters are finding what they need.  The lake house is booked through this summer.

"Spring vacation was the first group that we saw," said owner Gary Mermelstein. "In fact, we booked up before the oil spill and there were just a few holes."

Now there are few of those reservation holes left.  At least one spot is taken by vacationers changing their mind on frolicking on the white sandy beaches now mixed with tar balls and slick oil.

"We had a lady call," said Mermelstein. "She said normally they go to the Alabama coast, and they didn't want to take a chance this year."

According to travel industry experts , many vacationers are playing it safe this year and choosing Austin as their rest stop.

"We're seeing record sales in the coastal areas on our lakes," says Scott Joslove, President and CEO, Texas Hotel and Lodging Association .

Travel experts say trading white sandy beaches for Texas lakes is an easy trade off.

"Texas is unparallel," said Joslove. "If you look at how beautiful Lake Travis is and the Highland Lakes and going out to the Hill Country, you're gonna get nature at its best."

More vacationers enjoying the lakes and nature is benefitting each Austinite.

"Every time someone stays at a hotel," said Joslove. "They're going out to eat, they're frequenting all our retail stores, they're attending our attractions, they're contributing in every way to our economy and taking very little infrastructure cost."

If the oil continues still spill, the summer could get better for renters and the Austin travel industry.

"We don't want the oil spill to continue," said  Mermelstein. "But if people are gonna take vacation, what a better place to take a vacation than Lake Travis."

*  Story Contributed by: Catenya McHenry