Floating down the Guadalupe River and sipping on a beer is a tradition for visitors to the New Braunfels, Texas vacation spot. However this summer, the rules have changed and a new beer ban is leaving tourists a bit baffled and turned off.
The popular vacation area usually draws in hundreds of people each summer, but this summer, tourism has been down and local business owners suspect it's because of the beer ban.
To those who enjoy a bit of booze while floating down the river, no worries, drinking is still permitted while tubing. However the part that has tourists confused is that drinking from a disposable container like a beer can is prohibited.
The ban comes from complaints of locals who got tired of wild partygoers dumping trash around the town. However business owners who depend on the usually busy summer tourist season are angry over losing money this year because tourists got the wrong message about the alcohol ban.
Many are under the impression that alcohol is banned completely, but that isn't the case.
"People are calling saying, 'You can't drink in New Braunfels, so why am I coming?'" said Shane Wolf, general manager of Rockin' R River Outfitters, the city's dominant tube rental company to The Associated Press.
What tourists don't get is that beer and liquor is still allowed as long as it is poured into a reusable container like mugs. Liquor stores are now selling $20 "Bubba Keg" containers that are made to be reused, creating an added cost for those who want to enjoy drinking while in the area.
The tourism industry is trying to start a campaign in which they clarify the confusion so that visitors will return, but a campaign against trashing the area is stronger as the disposable container ban was supported by 58 percent of residents who got sick of rowdy partying visitors.
Residents have already noticed an improvement. In May, 1,800 pounds of litter was collected around the river, which is only 15 percent of the amount of garbage that was cleaned up around the same time last year. Crime and citations have also gone down significantly, The Associated Press reported.
The Guadalupe and Comal rivers are some of Texas' most visited natural attractions. Water tubing down the rivers usually brings in $469 million for New Braunfels. In recent years, tourism has been down due to flooding in 2010, followed by a drought in 2011. The confusion over the alcohol can ban isn't helping this year.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
