Dec 16, 2009 1:51 pm US/Central
AAA: Holiday Travel Will Be Up From Last Year
CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) ―
Illinois will see an increase of more than 10 percent in the number of people traveling 50 miles or more from home this year, according to the AAA Chicago Motor Club.
AAA is projecting 87.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the year-end holidays -- a 3.8 percent increase from the 84.5 million who traveled over the Christmas/New Year's period a year ago, and the largest projected increase for any major holiday this year. In Illinois, 4.5 million people will be traveling this holiday week, an increase of nearly 11 percent from 2008.
In Indiana, there will be 1.8 million total travelers, an increase of nearly 10 percent, a release Wednesday from AAA said.
The number of travelers by motor vehicle is expected to be 77.7 million in 2009, compared to 74.4 million last year; an increase of 4.4 percent. The number of air travelers is expected be 4.2 million compared to 4.1 million in 2008, an increase of 2.9 percent. And the number of those traveling by "other" means, including trains, watercraft, buses and multiple-modes of transportation is expected to be 5.8 million, compared to 6.0 million last year, AAA said.
Last year, the total number of travelers during the year-end holidays was 84.5 million; a decline of 4.7 percent from 2007.
"More Americans traveling during the winter holidays is another sign consumers are continuing to grow more confident in their personal financial situations," Brad Roeber, AAA Chicago regional president, said in the release. "The moderate projected rise in the number of air travelers is especially welcome since the airline industry was hit especially hard by the recession."
This holiday, travelers will be paying nearly $1 more per gallon for gasoline than they did last year. The current nationwide average for self-serve regular is $2.59. In Illinois and Indiana, gas prices are averaging $2.63 and $2.45 respectively.
Despite the higher prices, AAA believes the impact of fuel costs on year-end travel will be minimal. This is because the average cost of self-serve regular remains well-below $3 per gallon and prices have been fairly stable since mid-October.
According to AAA's Leisure Travel Index -- a monitor of pricing in 20 popular cities for hotels, car rentals and air travel -- the lowest average published airfares over the holidays period are expected to increase two percent from last year to an average of $179 per roundtrip. Car rental rates also will increase, up two percent to an average of $50 per day.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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