Officials: Manhunt having little effect on tourism

Associated Press

CANADENSIS, Pa.

For a region so dependent on tourism, the headline could scarcely be worse: A survivalist charged with ambushing a Pennsylvania State Police barracks eludes hundreds of law-enforcement officials pursuing him in the woods.

Yet tourism officials in the Pocono Mountains say that though visitors are calling to ask about the manhunt for Eric Frein — now in its third week — very few of them are canceling their hotel and outing reservations during one of the busiest times of the year.

That’s because, though police are narrowly concentrating their search on a heavily wooded, 5-square-mile area around Canadensis, the Poconos region of northeastern Pennsylvania encompasses 2,400 square miles.

Brilliant foliage and temperate weather are primary attractions this time of year in the Poconos, where tourism is the No. 1 industry at $3 billion annually.

Though most businesses that cater to tourists seem to be unaffected by the lengthy manhunt, it’s a different story in the tiny villages that make up Barrett Township, where Frein is believed to be hiding in the woods around his parents’ house. From the 10-room Brookview Manor Inn to Capri Pizza, business is down as tourists avoid the area and residents stay home.

Meanwhile, deer hunters gearing up for this weekend’s opening of archery season will find some areas off limits. The Pennsylvania Game Commission has banned hunting and trapping in seven townships after police said they had found two pipe bombs they say were left by Frein.