Mllions Hit the Road for Memorial Day Despite High Gas Prices
An article by Oren Dorell of USA Today reports that, “Even with average gas prices 75 cents higher than last year, the number of travelers using cars, planes, trains and cruise lines will likely increase by 1% compared with last year, according to a survey by the AAA automobile club.� Dorell says that 37.5 million people plan a holiday trip.
The great majority of travelers, 84%, will travel by car, and 11% will fly, according to AAA. The most drivers, 7.5 million, will be on the West Coast, followed by the Southeast, the Midwest, the Northeast and the Great Lakes area. AAA predicts cities will be Americans’ top destination, favored by 23% of travelers, followed by small towns (22%), beaches (16%), lakes (13%), mountains (8%) and national parks (1%).
As we have commented all along, high gas prices have not yet slowed vacationers in what has been our best spring season ever. With the strong travel numbers reported for the Memorial Day holiday, the summer travel season is off to a good start. This is good news for the vacation rental industry, as well as the rest of the tourism industry. People may be more budget conscious because of high gas prices and much higher hotel room rates, but this should be a good development for reasonably priced and attractive vacation rentals
