AlexandriaNews - 800,000 Local Residents Will Travel This Labor ...

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It?s a clean sweep so far this summer travel season. For the third holiday travel period this summer, Washingtonians will head out this Labor Day in the largest numbers since the onset of the ?Great Recession,? AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel is forecasting.?? But with the long-anticipated Labor Day holiday travel weekend just around the corner, an important question looms large in the minds of some local residents. Will Hurricane Isaac spoil their Labor Day travel plans? That remains to be seen, cautions AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel.

So far, it appears most Washingtonians will keep their Labor Day holiday weekend travel plans, many of which were paid for in advance, while casting a wary eye on the weather forecast and on the machinations of Hurricane Isaac, notes the region?s largest leisure travel organization.

Nearly 800,000 Washington area residents will travel 50 miles or more from home during the upcoming Labor Day holiday travel period, the leisure travel organization is projecting. Interestingly, this figure comprises a 3.5 percent increase over the number of area residents at this time last year.

?As they prepare to embark on their Labor Day vacation trips, local residents are urged to stay abreast of local forecasts both at their departure city and at their points of destinations,? cautioned Mahlon G. (Lon) Anderson, AAA Mid-Atlantic?s Managing Director of Public and Government Affairs. ?It?s very encouraging that the total number of 2012 Labor Day holiday travelers across the nation and the Washington metro region is expected to reach a new post-recession high. Even more encouraging, this is a travel ?trifecta? or the third such increase in holiday travel during this summertime. Clearly, Americans and Washingtonians are trying to put the recession behind them.?

AAA Mid-Atlantic?s Labor Day 2012 Travel Forecast

Travel Projections for the Washington SMSA At-A-Glance

Travel & Percentage Increase

799,900

Up 3.5% from 772,800 in 2011

Automobile Travel & Percentage Increase

694,000 (86.8% of area travelers)

Up 3.6% from 669,500 in 2011

Air Travel & Percentage Increase

63,300 (7.9% of area travelers)

Up 4.2% from 60,800 in 2011

Other Modes Of

Travel & Percentage Increase

42,600 (5.3% of local travelers)

Up 0.3% from 42,500 in 2011

Come what may or Isaac?s storm surge, high water or high tide in the gulf coast region and in the face of their potential impact on gasoline prices, Washington area residents say they are determined to keep their vacation plans for the last weekend of summer. It is tenacity and a travel trend exhibited during each of the three summer holidays celebrated this year ? Memorial Day, Independence Day, and now Labor Day.

Despite gasoline prices that have surged 40 cents or more during the past two months, the vast majority of vacationers hailing from the Greater Washington area, 694,000 local residents will make their last holiday trek of summer by automobiles. That?s a 3.5 percent increase in the number of Washington area residents who made their great escape on the highways last Labor Day holiday weekend. This is the preferred mode of transportation for nearly 87 percent of all local holiday travelers.

Expect big crowds at the region?s three major airports this Labor Day holiday weekend, as area residents rack up frequent flier miles. All told, slightly more than 63,000 area residents will jet to their holiday destinations. That?s a 4.2 percent increase over the number of local dwellers who boarded airlines at this time a year ago, observes AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel. With summer fading fast, nearly eight percent of all local travelers will kiss their work stations and their cares goodbye and fly away from it all this Labor Day holiday weekend.

Area residents ? nearly 43,000, will also travel by other modes of transportation, including by bus lines, by rail, and by cruise ships, during summer?s last hurrah. This comprises a 0.3 percent increase in the number of Washingtonians who made their last summer sojourns by these modes last year. Still, this figure represents 5.3 percent of all local holiday travelers.

As a cautionary note, Hurricane Isaac, which is packing significant storm surges and heavy rainfall, could throw a monkey wrench into Labor Day travel plans in certain parts of the country, as did Hurricane Irene last Labor Day, advises AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel.

?While it is challenging to predict the impact that Hurricane Isaac may have on Labor Day travel plans, tropical storms and hurricanes, like this one, typically do not negatively influence travel at the national level,? Anderson commented. ?The fact is, most Americans will continue to monitor weather forecasts and the storm?s path in the Gulf of Mexico and along Louisiana?s eastern coastline, and keep their plans if possible.?

Despite the advent of the ?perfect storm,? Hurricane Isaac, a sluggish economy, and recent rises in gas prices, the increase in expected Labor Day holiday weekend travelers is driven by improving consumer confidence compared to one year ago and American?s unwavering desire to travel.

?Even with the absence of strong economic growth that might otherwise fuel a significant boost in travel volume, there are some hopeful trends.? It is an encouraging sign that Americans and Washingtonians are continuing to suffer from wanderlust and are placing a premium on traveling this summer,? said Anderson. ?Keep in mind, travel is still within the discretionary spending budget of the vast majority of Washington area residents.?

Nationally, 33 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, AAA Travel is projecting. That?s? a 2.9 percent increase from the 32.1 million people who traveled last year, according to the AAA/IHS Global Insight 2012 Labor Day Holiday Travel Forecast.

AAA?s Memorial Day and Independence Day holiday travel forecasts projected increases of 1.2 percent and 4.9 percent, respectively. Here are some other important trend lines in the travel forecast across the nation and region:

• From coast to coast, automobile travel is up 3.1 percent this Labor Day holiday weekend.
• Approximately 28.2 million people (85 percent of holiday travelers) will make their Labor Day holiday journey by automobile, considered the most convenient mode of travel for many Americans.
• This is a 3.1 percent increase over the 27.3 million people who took to the nation?s roadways in 2011.
• The overall number of air travelers expected to increase by 3.7 percent, as airfares decrease.
• About 2.5 million leisure travelers (eight percent of holiday travelers) will fly during the Labor Day weekend.
• This comprises a 3.7 percent increase over 2011 when 2.5 million traveled by air. In 2010, 2.6 million chose to fly to their Labor Day vacation destinations which began the steady recovery from the decade-low 1.5 million air travelers in 2009.
• Labor Day holiday air travel has been fairly consistent since the recession bounce back began for the travel industry in 2010.
• Airfares decreased four percent over last year with an average lowest round-trip rate of $197 for the top 40 U.S. air routes, according to AAA?s Leisure Travel Index.
• The remaining seven percent of Labor Day holiday travelers ? 2.3 million Americans ? are expected to use other modes of transportation, including cruise ship, rail and bus travel.
• This is a nominal 0.2 percent decrease over last year.
• Impact of gasoline prices and Hurricane Isaac on travel plans

Today?s national average price for regular gasoline is $3.76 per gallon and pump prices are averaging $3.74 across the Washington Metro region. This price is 23 cents higher than one month ago and 20 cents less than the April peak of $3.94 per gallon. Gas prices may continue to rise this week as Isaac disrupts production along the Gulf Coast. As a precaution, some refineries and pipelines along the coast are beginning to close which could result in price increases in parts of the country. It remains too early to predict the extent of the impact Hurricane Isaac may have on gas prices, or if that impact will be felt nationwide. Daily gas prices can be tracked at http://www.fuelgaugereport.aaa.com/

?Keeping the possibility of regional impacts in mind, we expect that most Americans, as well as most local holiday travelers, will continue with their confirmed holiday travel plans unless Hurricane Isaac causes a significant nationwide increase in gas prices before the weekend,? Anderson noted. ?Still, it is possible that last-minute or impromptu travel plans could be impacted by increases in gas prices.?

The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, August 30 to Monday, September 3. 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 2012 Independence Day Holiday Travel Forecast can be found at NewsRoom.AAA.com.

Source: http://www.alexandrianews.org/2012/08/800000-local-residents-will-travel-this-labor-day-weekend/

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