I would say that the costs has risen due to the economic downfall. Money is an issue. And yes, you can go out and get sponsors and donations, but you can only do that so many times and there are more and more people doing that now so the donations are less and less. To simply say it can not be an economic issue can not be sincere.
I spent time on the phone trying to get schoolboys, cadets and juniors. The reason for not going on the trips was money. $1,000 here, $450 there, etc. does add up and even fundraising has some limitations.