They’re not hard to spot. Although some blend in better than others, it’s usually pretty easy to distinguish the tourists from the locals, especially on a sunny afternoon in Portsmouth’s Market Square.

Take Barbara Leibowitz of Boca Raton, Fla., and her sister Susan Strauss of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for example. The two stood at the corner of Market and Congress streets on Friday, July 15, gazing up first one road, then the other, and debating which way to go. Eventually, they decided to ask for directions.

“Excuse me, can you tell us how to get to...you know...the place by the ocean? The restaurant?” Leibowitz asked. 

“The Oar House,” Strauss chimed in helpfully. 

The two had arrived just an hour earlier for a wedding that would take place the following day at Odiorne Point State Park (“Odern? Odiawn? How do you pronounce that?” Strauss wondered aloud). It was their first time in Portsmouth, and they marveled at the city’s beauty and cleanliness, its brick sidewalks and pleasant weather. Back home in Florida, they said, it was 110 degrees.

They were not the only out-of-towners prowling Portsmouth last weekend. Cindy Sellards and her daughter Courtney, of Georgia, who were visiting family in Seabrook, spent the afternoon exploring the flower gardens in Prescott Park. Nancy Gately and Joan Defazio, both of Massachusetts, strolled along the waterfront before relaxing on a park bench. Karen Bezrich, an inner-state tourist from Laconia, got lunch at the River House Restaurant with her daughter Lindsay, a Portsmouth resident.

Tourists from all over the country and world flock to New Hampshire for its beaches, lakes and mountains. More than 13.6 million travelers are expected to visit the Granite State this summer, about 1 percent more than the summer of 2010, according to a report from the Institute for NH Studies. Those visitors are expected to spend roughly $1.68 billion in the state—a 3 percent increase over last year.

That means business for local hotels, restaurants, campgrounds and retail shops. And the rooms and meals taxes tourism generates is a vital source of revenue for the government. 

But for the local residents who actually live and work on the Seacoast, tourists are more like a seasonal disorder, whether in cars clogging the highways and meandering along scenic vistas, or on foot, bringing their vacation pace and double-wide baby strollers to city sidewalks and coffee shops.

A recent Wire Facebook post seeking feedback on how locals feel about their temporary guests elicited a burst of responses and sparked a vigorous debate over the pros and cons of tourism. The general consensus seems to be that we rely on tourist spending—but that doesn’t mean we have to like them.

“We need them but I look forward to the end of summer when they leave and we get to enjoy our city again,” says Don Winterhalter.

Sara Curry advised people to embrace tourists, saying a small city like Portsmouth would suffer immensely without them.

“There is no way a town of (20,000) people could support such a vibrant restaurant and shopping scene without them. Gotta suck it up,” Curry posted. “Welcome the visitors. And thank them. It’s why so many of us have the great jobs and lives that we do and why so much incredible talent and culture come to this town.”

But others warned that the growing tourism industry sucks the local color and character from a community crafted by locals on the Seacoast.

“If there is too much focus on tourism the overall flavor of the city gets a bit bland,” posted Brian Sullivan. “There’s still some interesting things here but the growing incentive to serve tourists is pushing it outside of downtown.”

Like them or not, tourists appear to be out in full force this summer, and many of them are concentrated on the Seacoast. Valerie Rochon, tourism manager for the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, said Fourth of July weekend brought a markedly higher number of tourists than the same weekend last year. The visitor information kiosk in Market Square experienced 22 percent higher traffic, and the average occupancy rate at Portsmouth’s lodging properties was 88 percent over the weekend.

“That’s a very positive sign,” Rochon said. “We’re seeing that some of the restaurants are just jamming, which is obviously very good.”

In 2010, Rockingham County generated $68.5 million in rooms and meals taxes, which was 30 percent of the state total and the highest amount of any single county. That’s largely because Rockingham County includes Portsmouth, as well as Hampton Beach and the rest of the state’s coastline. 

Strafford County, by comparison, generated $13.4 million in rooms and meals taxes, which was just 6 percent of the state total.

Michelle Moon said on Facebook that without the money generated by tourism, Portsmouth would be filled with empty storefronts and would offer far fewer cultural riches like theater and music. 

“There are many towns that don’t have the benefit of tourism—and they sure don’t look like Portsmouth,” Moon posted. “Drive around New England and see how many towns lack this particular kind of economic engine.”

But some residents feel differently. Andrea Abbott argued that the arts scene in Portsmouth was more vibrant in the years before tourists started arriving in droves.

“Seems to me that before we became quite the tourist destination we have become, we had more music, more interesting stores and restaurants, and more character, and locals could actually afford to live in town,” Abbott posted. “Yes, the tourists bring in some (money), but the cost is high. I’d say it’s a blessing and a curse.”

The influx of tourists is even more noticeable at Hampton Beach, which is all but deserted in the winter months. The beach suffered from lousy weather in 2010, and heavy rains this spring kept people away early on. But the hot temperatures and sunny skies of July have dramatically boosted visitation, according to B.J. “Doc” Noel, president of the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Needless to say, weather is everything, and that’s what we have compared to last year,” Noel said.

In fact, beach traffic has been so heavy over the last few weeks that it may be pulling visitors away from Portsmouth. Rochon said that although the hotels and restaurants have been filling up at night, daytime shopping in Portsmouth has been down.

“I think some of the daytime traffic we’re not seeing as much, maybe because of pent-up demand for the beach,” she said.

A couple of employees of summer businesses concurred. Ashley Deyab sat alone by the Lemonwerks lemonade stand on Marcy Street on the afternoon of July 15, waiting for customers to happen by. It’s Deyab’s first summer working at Lemonwerks, but long-time employees have told her the stand was much busier in years past.

“Days on end, we’re just really, really slow,” Deyab said. “I’m still hoping it picks up. Who knows? It is only July.”

Most of the tourists she has encountered came from Massachusetts or elsewhere in New England, and many of them have been less than friendly.

“There have been a lot of grumpy folks,” she said.

On the other hand, Charles Denault, who works at a lobster roll stand in Market Square, said the locals are typically crankier than the tourists. But he agreed that business this summer has been slower than in years past.

“This year’s been terrible,” he said.

Some locals feel we should be more tolerant of tourists, even when they are a bit grumpy. After all, we’ve all been tourists in other places at one point or another.

“There are nimrods in every population, even us locals,” Alan E. Gold posted on Facebook. “Drunks are drunks and bad drivers are bad drivers. Just read the papers. Tourists clog the place up but support what we get to enjoy year round. I can live with that.”Samantha Wilcox said locals and tourists can live side by side, as long as the locals adjust their routines to account for the newcomers. 

“We locals should be prepared enough by now to anticipate delays and crowds and plan accordingly,” she posted. “It’s nice to have a little extra time in the mornings to get someplace, and crucial to know the strategic parking places and times to be off the road.”

A key time to stay off the highways is during holiday weekends, when tourists flood the state from every direction. According to the N.H. Division of Travel and Tourism Development, 278,595 vehicles passed through state tolls on the Fourth of July—a 4 percent increase over the same day last year.

The bulk of those travelers come from New England and Middle Atlantic states, as well as Canada, where the value of the Canadian dollar has increased. The number of visitors from Europe is expected to go up this summer, as well.

Tourism has suffered to a degree in recent years due to economic conditions, as well as high gasoline prices.

“Five or six years ago our numbers were looking pretty good,” said Tai Freligh, spokesman for the N.H. Division of Travel and Tourism Development. “That was before we had the big economic recession, the hard times and all that. I think we’re just now finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Rochon said fuel costs and economic conditions are still preventing tourists from spending as much as they otherwise might. They’re eating at restaurants and staying at hotels, but they’re not necessarily shopping at local stores.

“People are starting to spend,” Rochon said. “That being said, we’ve certainly seen the impact of fuel costs. Are we seeing it loosening? Yes, I think it’s loosening. Are we seeing it loosening as much as it could be? I don’t think so. And I think fuel costs are contributing to that.”

New Hampshire’s lack of a sales tax makes it an attractive vacation destination even for frugal visitors, Freligh said. But it’s the natural splendor of the White Mountains, Lakes Region and beaches that draws the crowds.

“What we hear from people coming and visiting the state is that scenic beauty and outdoor activities are pretty much the top draw,” Freligh said.

As beneficial as tourism can be, though, some locals question the priorities of state and local government. Perhaps, suggested Erin Moran, the state should focus on funding a much-needed replacement for Memorial Bridge before catering to tourists.

“I wish that instead of spending money on the sidewalks aimed at tourism they would spend money on the bridges aimed at the locals,” Moran posted on Facebook. “The more the merrier in Portsmouth, but the money spent on improvements should be geared toward the locals.”