Wednesday, December 23, 1998
Wednesday, December 23, 1998 |
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A record 45.2 million people expect to travel 100 miles or more from home this Christmas-New Year's, the greatest number of travelers for any holiday period, according to AAA Auto Club South. That figure represents a 2 percent growth over last year's 44.5 million travelers. The previous heaviest travel period was Christmas-New Year's 1996 when 42.3 million people took a trip. "Christmas-New Year's travel has skyrocketed this decade," said Cindy Sharpe, managing director of public and government relations for AAA Auto Club South. "Since 1990, travel during this period has jumped 66 percent. That compares to 35 percent growth for Thanksgiving and 46 percent for the three major summer holidays." Approximately 35.5 million people plan to go by auto this holiday, also a 2 percent increase over last year. Another 9.7 million will travel by airplane, train or bus, up to 1 percent. Both the West and the Southeast are expected to have the greatest numbers of auto travelers, with 9.2 million coming from each region. Other regions and their expected numbers of motorists include the Northeast, 5.8 million; Midwest, 5.7 million; and Great Lakes, 5.6 million. According to AAA's survey, 38 percent of travelers plan to visit a city while another 31 percent expect to go to a town or rural area. Other popular destinations include: ocean/beach, 12 percent; mountains, 8 percent; state/national park, 2 percent; theme/amusement park, 2 percent; lake, 2 percent; other, 4 percent; don't know or no response, 1 percent. While 55 percent of travelers plan to stay with a friend or relative, another 31 percent will be staying at a hotel or motel. Other lodging plans include: cabin/condo, 5 percent; camper/trailer/RV/tent, 2 percent; boat/ship, 2 percent; bed and breakfast, 1 percent; other, 1 percent; no overnight stay, 2 percent; don't know/no answer, 1 percent. AAA's holiday travel projections are based on a national telephone survey of 1,500 adults conducted by the Travel Industry Association, which does special research for AAA. AAA Auto Club South is the third-largest affiliate of the national AAA organization, serving more than 3 million members throughout Florida, Georgia and middle and western Tennessee. Region...............Populations.........% By auto...Auto Travelers....% change
Total United States......267.6MM..........13 percent......35.5MM.....2 percent Northeast.................51.6MM..........11 percent.......5.8MM.....2 percent Southeast.................64.6MM..........14 percent.......9.2MM.....2 percent Great Lakes...............43.9MM..........13 percent.......5.6MM.....2 percent Midwest...................48.2MM..........12 percent.......5.7MM.....2 percent West......................59.4MM..........15 percent.......9.2MM.....1 percent  Back to the
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