Travel for Memorial Day is expected to hit an all-time low this year as the coronavirus outbreak continues to sweep across the country. This has prompted the AAA to refrain from issuing a travel forecast for the holiday weekend, which is usually one of the busiest times for travel.
"Last year, 43 million Americans traveled for Memorial Day Weekend – the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday travel volumes in 2000," explained Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, in a statement. "With social distancing guidelines still in practice, this holiday weekend’s travel volume is likely to set a record low."
The last time Memorial Day saw record-setting low travel volumes was in 2009, when the Great Recession was nearing its end. At the time roughly 31 million travelers hit the road, and air, and now the numbers are expected to further decrease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that Americans stay home and avoid nonessential travel but the situation is not completely hopeless.
With states easing travel restrictions, the AAA could start making travel projections for as early as summer. Meanwhile, American's are starting to plan ahead and have been tentatively making online travel bookings. AAA predicts an increasing trend in travel to local and regional U.S. destinations.
"The saying goes that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Americans are taking that first step toward their next journey from the comfort of their home by researching vacation opportunities and talking with travel agents," said Twidale. "We are seeing that Americans are showing a preference and inspiration to explore all that our country has to offer as soon as it is safe to travel."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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