By Alan Zibel 

Tourists in the U.S. kept their pocketbooks closed as the economy stumbled earlier this year.

Spending on travel and tourism fell at a 1% annual rate in the first quarter from the prior quarter, adjusted for seasonal factors and for inflation, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The drop was the largest quarterly decline since the final quarter of 2009, when spending fell 1.8%, and came after a 4.5% gain in the prior quarter. The pullback was led by an 11.2% decline on spending on recreation and entertainment, while food and drink spending fell 3.5%.

The results come as stormy weather and a choppy economic recovery led to a rough start of the year for major operators of amusement parks.

SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. last month reported a wider first-quarter loss of $49.4 million. The company attributed the results, in part, to bad weather and a shift in the timing of Easter and spring break to the second quarter of the year. Six Flags Entertainment Corp. cited similar reasons for its 16% drop in revenue as it reported a $61 million first-quarter loss.

Still, the drop in tourism spending was less severe than the overall economy, which contracted at a 2.9% annual pace in the January-March period.

Employment in tourism-related industries climbed 2.1% in the first quarter, compared with a 1.5% gain for total U.S. payrolls.

The quarter's drop may be a temporary blip, and some tourism companies are seeing healthy results. Earlier this week, Carnival Corp. raised its earnings estimates for the year, with Chief Executive Arnold Donald citing "a gradually improving economic environment."

The Federal Reserve's latest beige book summary of economic activity said tourism was strengthening in much of the country, especially in the mid-Atlantic. Prolonged winter weather has "increased cabin fever and demand for summer getaways along the shore," the Fed said. "In addition, some boat owners are bringing their boats back to the shore following recession belt-tightening."

Write to Alan Zibel at alan.zibel@wsj.com

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