The Fourth of July weekend is approaching and already beach business is picking up.

Travelers are staying closer to home this year and that means more customers and travelers are heading to the panhandle.
Money may be tight for some families but many are still willing to shell out the cash for a trip to the beach.

Dan Rowe, President of the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitor's Bureau said, "The fourth of July is by most accounts the biggest weekend PCB has in the tourist season and occupancy will be good and we will have a lot of visitors at the beach this weekend."

Families want to celebrate the fourth but also stay within budget and the beach is a good place to do that.

Philip Colvin, Holiday Inn Director of Marketing, said "We have families who are looking for a good value and because we have on-site dining, it's an easy stop because they pay one price and have everything taken care of."

Already some hotels are seeing high occupancy rates in preparation for the holiday weekend.

Rowe said, "We've almost sold out. We still have days before and after but those are filling up fast as well."

So despite the dwindling economy, it seems the beach will continue to be a hot spot this Fourth of July.

There are a number of fireworks displays happening this weekend in Panama City Beach.

Pier parks star spangled spectacular kicks off at 12 p.m. The fireworks display will start around 7:30 p.m.

The 3rd annual boardwalk beach bash kicks off Friday at noon at the Boardwalk Beach Resort. Fireworks will start at 9:00 p.m.

A third fireworks show will take place on Grand Lagoon in Panama City Beach. They'll kick off at 8:30 p.m.