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Last Christmas of the Century Will Bring Second-Highest Number of Travelers

20 December 1999

Last Christmas Season of the Century Will Bring Second-Highest Number of Travelers, Says Auto Club

    LOS ANGELES--Dec. 20, 1999--More than 5 million Californians, and 3.2 million Southern Californians, will travel the state's freeways and roads this week on their way to long-distance holiday destinations, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    Nationally, the number of Christmas travelers falls just short of the record 45.2 million set last year, making this the second-busiest Christmas season for travel. According to a national survey conducted for AAA, 44.6 million Americans expected to take trips of 100 miles or more by auto, plane, train or bus -- a 1 percent decrease from last year.
    "We've seen a steady, sharp increase in the number of people taking out-of-town Christmas trips during the `90s, and this is the first year the number of travelers has declined from the previous year," said Carol Thorp, Auto Club spokeswoman. "Concerns about Y2K travel have slightly reduced the number of people planning holiday trips."
    According to a survey of Auto Club travel agents, the most popular destinations for Southern Californians this holiday season are:

    1. Las Vegas
    2. Hawaii
    3. Mexico
    4. San Francisco
    5. New York City

    Those traveling by car to holiday destinations may experience traffic congestion on outgoing roads on Thursday or Friday. But holiday-related traffic jams are not as easy to predict this year because Christmas falls on a Saturday, said Thorp.
    "In general, drivers should prepare themselves for the possibility of delays, especially on the freeways leading out of Southern California and roads leading toward major airports," Thorp said.
    Holiday auto travelers will pay more to fill up at the pump before they leave, according to the Auto Club's December fuel price survey. The average price for regular unleaded in Southern California was $1.424, which is 22.4 cents higher than December 1998 and 6.5 cents higher than last month.
    Analysts predict that gas prices may continue to rise in coming weeks because of production limits set by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900.
    Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy.
    Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.