It’s been the kind of lazy, hazy summer that children will remember long into adulthood. The hot days are perfect for endless hours of fun, perfect for splashing in the clean rivers of the White Mountains, or enjoying one of the many water-based rides at family attractions throughout the region.

The ideal weather has not gone unnoticed by those planning their yearly get-aways, according to Jayne O’Connor, president of the White Mountain Attractions Association.

“I can’t think of better weather to have for summer vacations. It certainly has been great for getting people out enjoying the mountains and the attractions. All the attractions have reported a great early season so far,” she said Wednesday.

She added that room sales are starting to fill in for the summer, which could boost the July numbers.

O’Connor said that there was a little hit in early July, with the Fourth of July falling mid-week.

“The calendar throws us for a loop every once in a while, but it tends to even out over time. The interesting thing about this summer is businesses are reporting that gift sales are up, which indicates better consumer confidence. That is a good thing, as we can see the economy finally rebounding.”

Josh Boyd, general manager at Wildcat Mountain, said that because the Fourth of July fell on a Wednesday business was a bit disappointing. He is optimistic about the rest of the summer.

“Lately though, the Valley seems to be filling up more and more each day and there is still plenty of time left for folks to come up and enjoy this beautiful time of the year,” Boyd said.

“The summer is good – hot – we could get a little rain,” Dot Seybold, general manager of Settlers’ Green in North Conway said. Seybold said that a little rain in the morning, with the skies clearing in the afternoon, gets more shoppers into the stores.

Despite the great weather for outside activities, the outlet village has benefited from an increase in visitors from other countries, including visitors from Canada.

Seybold said many visitors from around the world are starting their North American tour in Canada, landing in Toronto or Montreal, and then heading south. She said she gets out and about around the village, and she recently talked with visitors from Venezuela, and met a family group of 14 from India.

“That’s something I’ve not seen in those numbers in my 25 years working at Settlers’ Green,” Seybold said. Americans, she said, are still cautious about spending.

Seybold noted that the new outlet mall in Merrimack didn’t hurt sales at the North Conway outlet village, rather it helped, noting the Merrimack outlet’s advertising “gets people excited about outlets.”

The two serve different markets, too, she noted, with Merrimack drawing from residents from the north side of the greater Boston area, and the Mount Washington Valley stores drawing tourists.

“There’s plenty of pent-up desire to travel this summer, and from the comments I’ve heard from Mt Washington Valley businesses, it’s been a good summer,” Marti Mayne, PR manager for the Mount Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce, said. “Weather is always a factor when it comes to travel; savvy travelers will check the forecast and then make their plans. This stretch of warm, dry weather we’ve had in July has translated to strong showings for our tourism businesses in Mt Washington Valley.”