Lookout Santa: Holiday Travel To Go Through The Roof, Says AAA
9 December 1997
Lookout Santa: Holiday Travel To Go Through The Roof, Says AAA
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- Santa and his reindeer may have trouble
navigating the highways and skyways this holiday as a record 44.5 million
people expect to travel 100 miles or more from home during the Christmas-New
Year's period, according to AAA.
"In the last five years, Christmas-New Year's travel has increased 26
percent, telling us that the holiday period has become more than just a time
to get together with family and friends -- it's a time to vacation, as well,"
said Graeme Clarke, senior vice president, AAA Travel Related Services.
This year's travel volume is up a healthy 5 percent compared to 1996's
42.3 million holiday trips. Last year's holiday period had the second-highest
increase in AAA's 13 years of holiday forecasts -- up 10 percent.
For the 1997 holiday, an estimated 34.9 million people will travel by
automobile, light truck or recreational vehicle, up 4 percent compared to 33.6
million the year before.
Holiday travel by airplane, bus, rail or ship is expected to jump 10
percent, to 9.6 million, compared to 8.7 million in 1996.
The greatest number of auto travelers will originate in the West, with
9.1 million people, followed by the Southeast, 9 million; Northeast 5.7
million; Midwest, 5.6 million; Great Lakes, 5.5 million.
Travelers expect to visit the following destinations during the Christmas-
New Year's holiday: city, 40 percent; town/rural area, 27 percent;
ocean/beach, 13 percent; mountain area, 10 percent; lake area, 2 percent;
theme/amusement park, 2 percent; state/national park, 1 percent; other and
undecided, 5 percent.
Overnight plans for holiday travelers include: family or friend's, 53
percent; hotel or motel, 34 percent; cabin/condo, 5 percent;
camper/trailer/RV/tent, 2 percent; boat/ship, 1 percent; bed & breakfast, 1
percent; other, 2 percent. Four percent were undecided or didn't expect to
stay overnight. Statistics exceed 100 percent due to multiple responses.
AAA's holiday travel projections are based on a national travel survey of
1,500 adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association, which does special
research for AAA.
AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 97 clubs with more than 1,000
offices providing its 40 million members in the United States and Canada with
a full range of travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services.
Projected Number of Christmas, 1997 Travelers
By Automobile/Truck/RV
By Census Region of Residence
Population Percent Number of Auto
(Millions) Traveling Travelers
by Auto (Millions)
Total United
States 265.3 13% 34.9
Northeast 51.6 11% 5.7
Southeast 63.8 14% 9.0
Great Lakes 43.6 12% 5.5
Midwest 47.8 12% 5.6
West 58.5 15% 9.1
*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
