Record-Setting Holiday to Launch Summer Travel Season, AAA Says

11 May 1999

Record-Setting Holiday to Launch Summer Travel Season, AAA Says

    ORLANDO, Fla.--May 11, 1999--A record 33.3 million Americans are expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend, launching a sizzling summer travel season, says AAA.
    That figure is up 4 percent from the previous year.
    "Consumer confidence in a stable U.S. economy bodes well for travel," said Jack Mannix, managing director, AAA Travel Related Services Marketing and Industry Relations. "This marks the fourth time this decade that travel during this holiday has increased by 1 million people or more."
    AAA's annual Memorial Day travel survey shows 27.5 million of those who expect to travel 100 miles or more will be going by auto, light truck or recreational vehicle, a 3 percent increase over 1998.
    Another 5.8 million plan to get away by airplane, train or bus, up 7 percent from one year ago.
    The greatest number of Memorial Day auto travelers will originate in the West with 6.5 million, followed by the Southeast with 5.8 million; Midwest, 5.7 million; Northeast, 5.2 million; and Great Lakes, 4.3 million.
    Towns/rural areas and cities are the destinations of choice garnering 27 and 25 percent, respectively, of this year's holiday travel volume. An estimated 14 percent of travelers will head to oceans or beaches, with another 11 percent visiting lake areas; 9 percent, mountain areas; 4 percent, theme/amusement parks; 3 percent, state/national parks; 5 percent, other; and 2 percent, undecided.
    Of the total Memorial Day travelers, 42 percent plan to stay at a hotel/motel and another 32 percent will stay with friends or relatives. Other overnight plans include: camper/trailer, 9 percent; cabin/condo, 8 percent; boat/ship, 1 percent; and undecided or other, 3 percent. Five percent do not plan to stay overnight.
    Research for Memorial Day is based on 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 90 clubs with more than 1,100 offices providing nearly 42 million members in the U.S. and Canada with travel, financial, insurance and auto-related services.


           Projected Number of Memorial Day, 1999 Travelers
                        By Automobile/Truck/RV
                     By Census Region of Residence

                         Population     Percent       Number of Auto
                         (Millions)    Traveling        Travelers
                                        by Auto         (Millions)

Total United States        273.0          10%             27.5

Northeast                   51.9          10%              5.2

Southeast                   66.2           9%              5.8

Great Lakes                 44.4          10%              4.3

Midwest                     49.3          11%              5.7

West                        61.2          11%              6.5

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:  Travel Industry Association, AAA

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