AAA Forecasts 30% Of Population Will Travel For Holiday

December 23, 2011

An estimated 30 percent of the U.S. population will travel during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday period, the second highest rate in the past ten years.

That’s according to AAA which forecasts 1.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the 2011-12 year-end holiday travel season, a 1.4 percent increase over the 90.7 million people who traveled one year ago. This year’s expected travel volume  is the second highest in the past decade and represents 30 percent of the total U.S. population.

The 11-day holiday period is the longest holiday travel season of the year, affording many more Americans time to visit family or take vacations.  AAA defines the year-end holiday travel season as Friday, December 23 to Monday, January 2.

Approximately 83.6 million people (91 percent of holiday travelers) plan to take to the nation’s roadways during the holiday period, a 2.1 percent increase compared to 2010-11 when the number of auto travelers totaled 81.9 million.  This year’s projected automobile travel volume is the second highest in the past decade and only 100,000 less than the 2006-07 auto travel peak of 83.7 million.  Automobile travel remains the preferred choice of transportation for 2011-12 Year-End holiday travelers as nearly 27 percent of the total U.S. population will hit the road.

Air travel is forecast to be down about 10 percent this year, while AAA says about 4.2 percent more people will travel by train, bus or other modes.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News