Nearly 5 million Californians to travel 50 miles or more over
long weekend
The combination of bad timing coupled with a soft economy is
putting a major damper on Californians’ Labor Day travel plans,
according to a new report from AAA Northern California.
The report predicts just more than 4.7 million Californians will
travel 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend. That’s a 13.1
percent decrease in overall travel from 2008.
Nearly 5 million Californians to travel 50 miles or more over long weekend
The combination of bad timing coupled with a soft economy is putting a major damper on Californians’ Labor Day travel plans, according to a new report from AAA Northern California.
The report predicts just more than 4.7 million Californians will travel 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend. That’s a 13.1 percent decrease in overall travel from 2008.
“One of the biggest reasons for this decline appears to be poor timing,” explained AAA Northern California spokeswoman Cynthia Harris. “Last year we experienced the most Labor Day travelers this decade largely because many children were not yet back in school and families took the opportunity to take a final summer vacation. This year, Labor Day week falls one week later, and schools are already back in session.”
While overall travel numbers are down significantly, last year’s high numbers make this year’s decline appear more dramatic. In fact, AAA expects this upcoming Labor Day weekend will be the third busiest of this decade.
AAA expects more than 3.75 million Californians will travel by motor vehicle over the weekend, representing an 11.2 percent decrease from last year. About 270,000 Californians are predicted to travel by air, a decrease of 19.9 percent from last year. Nearly 700,000 state residents are expected to travel by other modes of transportation such as boats or trains. That number is down by 20 percent compared to last year.
Nationally, AAA expects 39.1 million people to travel 50 miles or more over the four-day weekend, a 13.3 percent decrease from last year.
“Despite the dampened enthusiasm for travel, we are seeing a resilience in the travel industry during these troubled times, due in part to lower travel prices and somewhat improved consumer confidence,” she said.
Airfares that are 17 percent lower on average over the Labor Day weekend are likely to entice air travelers. Car rental rates are up about 7 percent. An average West Coast family of four is projected to spend $1,126 dollars over the four-day weekend and will log an average of 648 miles round trip for the weekend.
AAA Northern California reminds motorists that during the Labor Day weekend, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be closed from Thursday, Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. until Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 5 a.m.
