Memorial Day Forecast points to Sizzlin’ Summer Travel

AAA reports Memorial Day weekend is expected to be the busiest in three years, building on a travel resurgence that began earlier this spring.  This year’s forecast marks the second-highest single-year increase in travelers since 2010 (2021 was the highest), bringing volumes almost in line with pre-pandemic levels.  AAA predicts nearly 1.2 million Georgians will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend.  That’s a 7.5% increase over 2021, bringing travel volumes almost in line with those from 2018.  Georgia air travel volumes are forecast to rise 26% from last year, the second-largest yearly increase in more than a decade.  The 3 million Americans forecast to fly this Memorial Day weekend is just shy of 2019 levels.  The number of Georgia air travelers is off by just 2.3% from 2019.  Despite historically high gas prices, 90% of Memorial Day travelers plan to travel by car.  Over 1.1 million Georgians are forecast to take a holiday road trip.  That’s 4.9% more than last year’s holiday weekend.  Gas prices for Memorial Day are likely to be the highest on record. A combination of tightening global supplies and strong demand are the main culprits behind this unprecedented pain at the pump.  Nationally, it’s a similar story. More than 39.2 million Americans will travel for the holiday weekend.  The 8.3% increase from 2021 puts travel volumes in line with 2017 figures.