MANCHESTER, N.H.- Following its 103rd year the Laconia Motorcycle Week saw lower attendance and an increase in the number of crashes.
Local officials say the event which usually sees hundreds of thousands of visitors saw a decrease of around 25% which is being blamed on a decrease in tourists coming over the border from Canada, and also higher prices at the pump.
Speaking with WMUR-TV Mayor Mike Bordes says some area businesses depend on the yearly event in order to survive.
“Some of the businesses in the Lakes Region live or die by Motorcycle Week…So if they don’t make it Motorcycle Week, they may or may not make it the rest of the year, which is very concerning.”
Bordes also notes that there’s been a shift in demographics, as not as many young people are riding motorcycles, and cites things like the costs of owning one being a factor.
Police also note that dozens of crashes were reported over the course of the week and that a number of those crashes were due to unsafe vehicle operation: burnouts and wheelies.
