AAA: Memorial Day travel to top 37 million
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – Memorial Day travel will be back in a big way this year. AAA predicts more than 37 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home for a holiday getaway, and 202,000 Idahoans will be among them. That’s a 60% increase over 2020, but 13% less than in 2019.
AAA says rising vaccination rates, loosening restrictions and improved consumer confidence will motivate more Americans to take a long-awaited vacation.
“There are plenty of signs that the nation is in recovery mode. Unemployment is falling, discretionary debit and credit-card spending are on the rise, and more people are going through TSA screenings at airports,” AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde said. “Even though we aren’t quite back to 2019 levels, it will still be a busy weekend, especially if you’re traveling through a major metro area or heading into the backcountry on a two-lane highway.”
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A record high 69.3 percent of travelers, since the pandemic began, say they are âreadyâ to travel, a sign of increased travel optimism as the vaccine rolls out across the country, according to a nationwide Destination Analysts survey conducted April 2-4, 2021. The vast majority, or 77.7 percent, of those surveyed are also now actively dreaming about and planning travel, the highest number this year.
âEach week that goes by, AAA travel advisors are seeing more hope and excitement from their customers about traveling this summer or fall and in 2022,â said Ken Grant, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Fueling the excitement about traveling, he said, are the newly updated CDC travel guidelines, which indicate that fully-vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves.