CONCORD, N.H. (AP) – More tourists are expected to visit New Hampshire this fall, but tourism officials are scaling back their earlier predictions because of rising gas prices and Hurricane Katrina.

Victoria Simoneau, publicity director for the state Division of Travel and Tourism, said original figures suggested the state would see a 4 percent increase in visitors over last year. That figure has been revised to 3 percent because of higher fuel costs and an anticipated reduction in visitors from the areas damaged by the hurricane.

Alice DeSouza, director of the Division of Travel and Tourism, said the predictions are conservative.

“We take factors like gasoline prices, weather, and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina very seriously when forecasting the potential economic impact of any given season,” DeSouza said in a statement.

In neighboring Maine, a recent study says the travel and tourism industry showed virtually no growth last year and remained stuck at the same level as in 2000.

Development of Maine’s $6 billion tourism industry is the topic of another study to be unveiled this week by Gov. John Baldacci. The yearlong study to be presented Tuesday in Augusta focuses on promotion of tourism in rural areas.

In New Hampshire, state tourism officials said rising gas prices did not appear to hurt summer tourism in the state.

“We did see an increase in visitors this summer,” Simoneau told Ski New Hampshire members at their annual meeting Thursday at Bretton Woods.

Early summer was wet and cool, but a hot July and August made up for lost revenue, tourism industry officials said.

Autumn is the state’s second-biggest tourism season after summer, and visitors typically come from farther afield.

Simoneau said the state expects 7.7 million visitors to spend $1.04 billion on everything from gas to restaurants, attractions and lodging this fall.

Members of the ski industry were taking a wait-and-see approach to gas prices for the winter. But some were planning to advertise their proximity to the Boston area market if gas costs become a potential obstacle to business.

Weather, perhaps more than any other factor, determines the success of a season, but high gas prices have an effect, too, tourism industry officials said.

Bookings for tour buses are strong, and resort communities said they expected to fill accommodations on weekends during peak foliage season.