AAA predicts 37 million Memorial Day travelers

The AAA auto club is predicting that 37.2 million U.S. residents will travel at least 50 miles away from home over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend. 

The figure is a 4.7 increase over 2014 travel in the Memorial Day period, which is defined as the Thursday through Monday surrounding the holiday. 

AAA said the anticipated travel for 2015 would be the highest number of Memorial Day travelers since 2005 if the prediction is accurate. 

{mosads}“Following a harsh winter, many Americans are trading in their snow boots for flip flops and making plans to start the season with a vacation getaway,” AAA President Marshall Doney said in a statement. “AAA is expecting more Memorial Day travelers this year than any time in the past 10 years as confident consumers come out of hibernation ready to explore national parks, beach destinations and America’s great cities.”

Doney attributed part of the predicted increase in Memorial Day travel to lower gas prices, which the auto club has said are nearly $1 cheaper per gallon on average across the country than they were at this time last year. 

“A strong employment market and low gas prices have driven consumer optimism to new highs and boosted Americans’ disposable income,” he said. “This is welcome news for the travel industry.”

The auto club predicted that 33 million of the anticipated Memorial Day travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations, up 5.3 percent from last year. 

Another 2.6 million people are predicted to be flying to their destination. They will be facing airfares that are predicted to be two percent lower than last year, according to the auto club. Hotel prices, meanwhile, are estimated to have risen about 16 percent.