
Memorial Day weekend officially begins today, and Don Redman with Triple-A says more than 45-million Americans will be traveling domestically.
“We’re expecting a record number of people. You have to go back to 2005 to see as many people traveling for the holidays.”
Triple-A says air travel had a slight two-percent increase from last year, but Redman says the big uptick was in the cruise industry.
“People are really getting out to cruise, and especially when looking at AAA members from Louisiana. One of their favorite destination is Alaska. So, they will fly out to the West Coast and catch one of those Alaskan cruises. That’s very popular.”
Redman says the vast majority of people will be traveling by car, with gas prices 45 cents cheaper than last year. Redman says, however, that gas prices alone usually don’t determine whether people travel.
“And lets don’t make any mistake about the idea that lower energy over the long run allows that family to have more of a disposable income. So, they may travel further or stay longer. It could absolutely be a boom for the travel industry this summer.”
In the southern region alone, Triple-A projects nearly 10-million travelers, so drive safely and expect traffic.
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