Hurricane Frances didn't hit North Carolina this Labor Day weekend, but businesses in the state still suffered.
Owners of beach businesses say tourists stayed away because of uncertainty about the storm's landfall. At Kure Beach, just 12 of the 26 units at the Moran Motel were rented Saturday. At the nearby Sand Castle Inn, a poor showing was reported on what is normally the last big hurrah of the tourist season. A flurry of midweek cancellations brought the occupancy rate at Wrightsville Beach's Blockade Runner Hotel to about 60 percent.
Copyright 2004 by the Associated Press.
