School rule will make late summer less of a bummer.

• Position: TRAVEL / TOURISM

Anybody who says it's easy to be a kid these days isn't paying attention. Sure, kids a century ago were more likely to spend summers working on family farms tending crops and animals--often under a blazing sun. But kids in the 21st century have a summertime duty to the economy, too. And the governor and legislature want to make sure school doesn't prevent them from doing it.

Starting with the 2005-06 school year, North Carolina public schools, other than year-round ones, may start classes no earlier than Aug. 25 and must end by June 10. That will add about two weeks to the summer holiday and perhaps $1 billion a year to a tourism industry that pulled in about $12.6 billion in 2003. If kids uphold their end of the bargain, they'll spend more time knocking colored golf balls through miniature windmills and streaking down water slides--often under a blazing sun.

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While it's easy to clear kids' schedules for more travel, it isn't easy to predict the boost to the tourism industry. East Carolina University hospitality-management professor James Chandler arrived at the $1 billion figure by estimating that 10 more days of summer would boost hotel revenue $300 million, based on summer data from the last five years. That, he says, would mean an additional $700 million in spending on things such as food, souvenirs and attractions.

Critics say the true benefit could be much lower. However, the prospect of extra revenue--even if less than what Chandler forecast--was enough for the General Assembly to pass the bill. Gov. Mike Easley calls it "a win for travel and tourism."

Tourism officials think so, too. "We are expecting the later school start to have a big impact here," says Carol Lohr, executive director of the Crystal Coast Tourism Development Authority in Morehead City. Spending there drops 60% when school starts.

Business travel accounts for just 14% of North Carolina's visitor volume, but the outlook for growth is good. In its 2004 midyear survey, the Alexandria, Va.-based National Business Travel Association reported that more than 60% of corporate travel managers surveyed nationwide said their companies were spending more on travel in 2004 than in 2003. More than 70% expected to book more hotel rooms.

Meanwhile, from mountains to coast, tourism officials reported busy summer seasons in 2004. Ninety percent of tourists come to North Carolina by car, but high gasoline prices had little effect. At the North Carolina Zoo in...