Return trips

More heavy rain followed in March, pushing the total damage cost to nearly $1 million. Along with the roof, rugs, furnishings, artwork, and wallpaper had to be repaired or replaced. The red-brick facade of the building facing the ocean was replaced with white stucco. Front porches were extended by 4 feet, and six concrete columns were installed beneath.

“We’ve made the whole thing bigger, heavier,’’ said owner Tracy Muller. “There won’t be any more roof blowing off.’’

A new roof is on, the repairs nearly complete, and bookings strong.

“We’ve had good weekends,’’ Muller said, standing on the roof deck. “It looks like we might be getting back to normal.’’

Essex County’s $675 million tourism industry has weathered a tough fiscal storm in recent years. State budget problems forced regional tourism councils to lay off and close rest stops. Back-to-back storms this winter and spring hit beach towns, such as Ipswich, Gloucester, and Salisbury, especially hard. Three Gloucester hotels lost roofs in 90-mile-per-hour winds last winter. Historic sites, such as the Crane Estate in Ipswich, had to scramble to repair facilities in time for summer.

But now things appear to be looking up. Visits to the Regional Visitor Center in Salem were up 19 percent for May, compared with the same month last year, according to the National Park Service. A new trolley carries visitors around Gloucester. Closed for eight months due to budget cuts, The Maria Miles Visitor Center on southbound Interstate 95 in Salisbury reopened last Thursday. The state Department of Transportation has since agreed to provide maintenance at the facility.

Contributions from area tourism businesses helped to rehire 10 part-time employees to staff the center, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through December, said Julie McConchie, executive director of the North of Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the regional tourist council in Peabody.

“We worked very hard to come up with a new business model so that we could reopen,’’ McConchie said. “It really is inspiring to see how people came together. It shows the value they place on tourism.’’

Tourism generated $675 million in spending in 2008 in Essex County, the most recent data available from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. The industry, which broadly includes hotels, historic sites, and attractions, had $165 million in payroll and 6,200 employees for that year. Room tax collections totaled $16.8 million in the county, the data showed.

Vacationers this year have come from all over the world. The guest book at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem showed travelers from Alaska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands, among recent signers.

Jill and Steve Stearns of California stopped in Lowell, Salem, and Saugus on their 47-day trip in a pickup truck to visit state capitals, national parks, and Major League Baseball parks.

“We love the Northeast for its history,’’ said Steve, a high school history teacher. “We’d been to Boston before, so we wanted to spread it out.’’

The couple, both public school teachers, spent most of their money on food, lodging, and souvenirs.

“We’ve spent a lot of money each day,’’ said Jill. “There’s always going to be a couple of post cards, magnets, and patches [from national parks] to buy.’’

Carmen Griffin and Cheryl Patton, friends from Indiana, stopped in Salem on their first trip east.

“I always wanted to check out Salem,’’ said Griffin, who was walking on Derby Street. “I am fascinated by it.’’

But they weren’t planning to spend a lot of money. The two, who work as housekeepers at a Holiday Inn, paid a reduced rate to stay at the chain’s Peabody location. But gas for their Honda got more expensive as they drove east.

“We paid $2.45 [per gallon] at home,’’ said Patton. “But the car is good on gas, so it’s an affordable way to travel.’’

Visitors to Gloucester this summer may find it cheaper to ride on a new old-fashioned trolley run by Cape Ann Transportation Authority. An $8,000 federal transportation grant was used to launch the service, which runs from Stage Fort Park to Good Harbor Beach. Along the way, the trolley stops at popular tourist spots, such as the Fisherman’s Memorial on Stacy Boulevard and Cape Ann Museum downtown. A one-day pass costs $3.

“The whole idea is to reduce traffic congestion, and make it easier for people to get around downtown, and to the beach,’’ said Bob Ryan, executive director of the transportation authority.

“We hope it catches on,’’ he said.

The authority also runs the Ipswich-Essex Explorer, a shuttle that runs on weekends, starting at the Ipswich train station. A trip to Crane Beach costs $5, an amount that includes a $2 walk-on fee at the beach.

“It’s a very popular route,’’ Ryan said.

That could be one reason Crane Beach has seen an increase in visitors, particularly from foreign lands, said Bob Murray, the site superintendent.

“A lot of people from Canada as well as people from Europe, ’’ Murray said. “The amount of people coming up to Crane for some time at the beach seems to be increasing.’’

The Crane Estate, overlooking the beach, lost hundreds of trees in the February storm. But the site is recovering, with 170 new trees planted.

“That’s really taken the curse off some of the storm damage,’’ Murray said.

Salisbury Beach State Reservation had to repair fences and boardwalks after the winter deluge. But most of its 484 camp sites are sold out for summer, said Mike Magnifico, the site supervisor.

“Once the kids start going back to school, then we get some open sites,’’ Magnifico said, noting that bookings for the July Fourth weekend sold out six months ago. “Campers will come, no matter what the weather.’’

Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.