BALTIMORE -- If high gas prices people re-thinking their summer vacation plans, local visitors bureaus suggest rediscovering the charm of the city.

Tourism centers are releasing tips on summer trips that are less than a "tank of gas" away.

At the same time, Baltimore is suffering from a drop in tourism from outside the city and the station, tourism bureau workers said.

“It's not just the gas prices. It's the accumulation of travel being a lot more expensive this year," Connie Del Signore, of the Anne Arundel County Visitors Bureau, said.

Del Signore said that's why many area tourism centers are taking a different approach this summer and working to recruit visitors who are close to home.

In Annapolis, radio and online ads are trying to get people living in the mid-Atlantic region to explore towns in their own backyard.

In Baltimore, 40 hotels have partnered together to woo in more locals, offering special discounts to consumers.

There is one front that tourism experts have been pleasantly surprised by.

Officials said that more international travelers are coming to the U.S. to take advantage of the weak dollar.