AAA predicts fewer travelers Memorial Day weekend

AAA projects 34.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Thursday through Monday, May 23-27. That’s a 0.9 percent decrease from the 35.1 million people who traveled last year.

The Mountain Region — Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico — is predicted to see a 0.6 percent decline from 2012. Automobile travel is expected to grow 0.1 percent, while air travel is forecasted to decrease 6.5 percent.

About 11.7 percent of travelers from the Mountain Region are expected to travel, slightly higher than the projected national projection of 11 percent. Travelers from the Mountain Region indicate they plan to spend time dining, visiting with friends and relatives, and shopping as their primary activities over the holiday.

A survey of intended travelers found that gasoline prices would have no impact on plans for 62 percent of travelers. Of the remaining 38 percent of travelers who said gas prices would impact their travel plans, 27 percent plan to economize in other areas, eight percent plan to take a shorter trip, and three percent plan to travel by an alternate mode of transportation.

While national gas prices peaked at the end of February, prices have been steadily climbing through the month of May. The current national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is two cents less than this time last year.