July 4th: Summer's Busiest Travel Holiday, Says AAA
24 June 1997
July 4th: Summer's Busiest Travel Holiday, Says AAA
ORLANDO, 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