Tuesday Travel Ticker: Big Bear steps on the gas

Big Bear is fighting high gas prices with a special fall deal: Through Nov. 19, guests who stay two nights at a participating lodge receive a free $50 gas card; a three-night stay is worth $75 in gas, or stay four or more nights and receive a free $100 gas card . . . . Discount travel site Hotwire.com has announced the launch of its first mobile app, available free for both the iPhone and iPod Touch, aimed at helping travelers find hotels instantly . . . . Grosseto, Italy, is using a theater as a courtroom this week in the case of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the shipwrecked cruise ship. The Tuscan city chose the larger space to accommodate all those who had a legitimate claim to be at the closed-door hearing . . . . Average hotel room prices hit an all-time high in Hawaii in August as tourist spending went up and visits from Japan, South Korea, China and other markets spiked, the Associated Press reports . . . . Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and UC Davis are using new recording devices to study Yosemite’s 150 great gray owls, which make up 65% of the state’s great gray owl population . . . . Sin City Comedy will call Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino home starting Oct. 25. Nightly burlesque and stand-up comedy shows will begin at 9 p.m. . . . . Deer Valley Resort announced it is sponsoring current U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes (and brothers) Bryon and Brad Wilson . . . . Pismo’s SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel has been given the 2012 Award for Excellence in Lodging and Hospitality by the California Lodging Industry Assn. . . . . Viaduct roadwork will occur from dawn until dusk through Saturday on Highway 1 at Rocky Creek, about 15 miles south of Carmel. . . . Travel quote of the day: “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” (Dagobert D. Runes)

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chris.erskine@latimes.com