Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory shared that a California Tourism Commission meeting revealed that many resorts and retail stores have felt the pain of recession. Now, Leisure Group Travel reports that despite lots of uncertainty, travelers won’t stay home this year.

Mammoth Community Relations Manager Stu Brown reported that Alfred Borcover in his recent “Travel Insider” column in the Chicago Tribune discussed travel trends. Borcover gathered information from all segments of the travel industry, and he reported that millions of Americans will take vacations this year. Here’s what Borcover said, “They are going to fly, cruise and drive, but I’ll guarantee you: Travelers will not be tossing their money around.”

Stu Brown added that an October survey of 2,291 adults, conducted by the Travel Industry Association and Ypartnership, a marketing firm, said that 7 out of 10 respondents said they intend to take an overnight trip of 50 miles or more in the next six months. Nearly half said they would not change their future travel plans because of the financial turmoil.

The survey also found that 76% of travelers expect to book a packaged vacation to save money. 67% plan to stay fewer nights on their trips. Stu’s News said that Smith Travel Research projects that occupancy rates will drop to 59.1%, the lowest level since 2003.

The good news – travelers may find some killer deals for trips.