WILMINGTON, DE - The number of Americans traveling during the three holidays of summer is increasing this year. In fact, the Labor Day holiday weekend, which is normally the smallest of the three travel holidays, is a case in point.
Across the nation, the number of holiday travelers will increase 9.9 percent from 2009, AAA today projected.
Approximately 34.4 million travelers taking a trip at least 50 miles away from home, according to the forecast by the nation??s largest leisure travel organization. Last year, 31.3 million Americans traveled during the Labor Day holiday.
"While media reports on the state of the U.S. economy are mixed, many Americans are still interested in taking one more trip as the summer travel season comes to a close," said Jim Lardear, director of public and government affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "It is encouraging to see more Americans planning to travel to visit family, friends and exciting vacation destinations."
The increase in travel for Labor Day appears to be the result of economic improvement over the past year. While job growth has been disappointing, gross domestic product, household net worth and consumer confidence have increased, while consumer debt has decreased. The U.S. travel industry began to gain traction in the fourth quarter of 2009 and that momentum has continued this year.
"AAA travel agents are continuing to report strong increases in the number of travelers making advanced reservations," Lardear added. "Hotel, car and vacation package reservations for the upcoming Labor Day weekend are up over ten percent compared to last year."
The 2010 Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, September 2 to Monday, September 6. In addition to economic data, the date of the Labor Day holiday is another variable considered in the forecast.
It works like this. The earlier the holiday falls in September, the more travel tends to occur. Although the growth in Labor Day travel is predicted to be strong at 9.9 percent, had the holiday fallen earlier in the month the forecasted number of travelers would likely be even higher, says AAA.
Trips by automobile are expected to increase in popularity with 91 percent of travelers, or 31.4 million people, reaching their destination by driving. This is an increase of 10.3 percent from last Labor Day when 28.5 million travelers went by motor vehicle. Barring any major tropical storm activity in the Gulf Coast region, AAA expects the national average price of self-serve regular gasoline to be between $2.65 and $2.75 per gallon during this holiday weekend.
Leisure air travel is expected to account for just five percent of overall travel with 1.62 million holiday flyers. This is an increase of 4.6 percent from one year ago when 1.54 million flew. Trips by other modes, including rail, bus and watercraft, will be the dominant means of travel used by four percent of all travelers.
Based on a survey of traveler intentions, the average distance traveled by Americans this Labor Day holiday weekend is expected to be 635 miles, slightly less than one year ago (645 miles). Median spending is expected to be $697 this Labor Day, nearly $50 more than last year when median spending was estimated at $650.
AAA??s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Boston-based economic research and consulting firm teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades. The complete AAA / IHS Global Insight 2010 Labor Day holiday forecast can be found at AAA.com/news.