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.