July 4th: Summer's Busiest Travel Holiday, Says AAA
24 June 1997
July 4th: Summer's Busiest Travel Holiday, Says AAAORLANDO, Fla., June 24 -- This Fourth of July will continue the tradition of being the heaviest traveled summer holiday, as an estimated 35.9 million Americans plan to take a trip of 100 miles or more from home, according to AAA. AAA's projections are up 1 percent from last year when 35.6 million people traveled over July 4th and are the highest since 1988 when 36 million people took a holiday getaway. "Not only does this holiday outpace Memorial Day and Labor Day, our records show it far surpasses Thanksgiving and even gives Christmas a run for its money in generating the most travelers," said Graeme Clarke, senior vice president, AAA Products & Services. This July 4th, an estimated 30.7 million Americans are expected to travel by auto, light truck or recreational vehicle, a 1 percent increase over the 30.4 who drove last year. Another 5.2 million will travel by airplane, train or bus -- the same as last Independence Day. The greatest number of auto travelers will originate in the Southeast, with 7.6 million, followed by the Northeast, with 6.5 million; West, 6.2 million; Great Lakes, 5.6 million; and Midwest, 4.8 million. The most popular holiday destinations will be cities and oceans/beaches, capturing 24 percent and 21 percent of the travel volume, respectively. Other destinations include: towns/rural areas, 19 percent; mountain area, 11 percent; lake, 8 percent; state/national park, 5 percent; theme/amusement park, 5 percent; other, 3 percent; undecided, 4 percent. Of those spending at least one night away from home, 37 percent will stay at a hotel or motel and 35 percent will visit family or friends. Other overnight plans include: camper/trailer/RV/tent, 12 percent; cabin/condo/vacation home, 10 percent; bed & breakfast, 3 percent; undecided, 3 percent. AAA's travel projections are based on results of a national telephone survey of 1,500 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA. AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 99 clubs, providing nearly 40 million members in the U.S. and Canada with a full-line of travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services. PROJECTED NUMBER OF JULY 4th, 1997 TRAVELERS BY AUTO/TRUCK/RV BY CENSUS REGION OF RESIDENCE* POPULATION PERCENT # TRAVELERS % CHANGE (MILLIONS) TRAVELING (MILLIONS) 1997/1996 TOTAL U.S. 265.3 12% 30.7 +1% NORTHEAST 51.6 13% 6.5 +3% SOUTHEAST 63.8 12% 7.6 -3% GREAT LAKES 43.6 13% 5.6 0% MIDWEST 47.8 10% 4.8 -2% WEST 58.5 11% 6.2 +7% *NORTHEAST: New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; Middle Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania; SOUTHEAST: South Atlantic: Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia; East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee; GREAT LAKES: East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin; MIDWEST: West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota; West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas; WEST: Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah; Pacific: Washington, Oregon, California. Source of tabular data: Travel Industry Association of America, American Automobile Association. NOTE: AAA news releases can be downloaded from the following sites: AOL -- Keyword: AAA; Click on "News and Events," "News Releases." INTERNET -- http://www.aaa.com/news/news.html SOURCE American Automobile Association