AAA Forecasts First Dip in Summer Travel in a Decade

Trends show travelers are eager, but cautious to take summer vacations

This summer, AAA forecasts Americans will take 700 million trips based on economic indicators and state re-openings. That number is down nearly 15% compared to last July through September, and is the first decline in summer travel since 2009. AAA booking trends show that as Americans return to making travel plans, they are doing so cautiously and more spur-of-the-moment.

“Americans have spent the last few months dreaming about their summer vacations,” says Bevi Powell, senior vice president, AAA East Central. “There have been some changes in booking trends this year. Travelers are booking long-weekend getaways and impromptu trips, with many loading their cars and heading to their favorite sunny destination or national park.”

Car trips reign supreme accounting for 97% of the favored mode of transportation, and are expected to see the smallest decrease in travel volume (3% year-over-year). Air travel is expected to decrease by about 74%, while rail, cruise ship and bus travel will slide by 86%.

AAA travel experts have begun to see positive trends in travel, noting that hotel and rental car bookings have been gradually increasing since April. Also, the share of travelers making plans 48 hours to 7 days before departure – a sign that people are arranging last-minute trips – is significantly higher than normal.

Road Trips + Top TripkTik Destinations

With travel restrictions lifting but social distancing still recommended, it’s no surprise that 97% of summer trips are road trips. That’s up from an average of 87% over the last five years. Road trips allow travelers to make their own schedule and customize stops based on comfort level and interests. For families, especially those with small children, it is an easy and less expensive way to travel. And, as an added benefit right now: gas prices are low.

This summer, road trippers should plan their travel in advance using AAA TripTik – a tradition that has guided generations of road trippers with paper and digital maps. Plus, it now includes COVID-19 Travel Restriction updates.

When it comes to TripTik destination searches nationwide, prominent cities that typically draw large crowds are not as popular. Orlando, FL has dropped from the top searched city destination to number eight, while Denver, CO makes the biggest climb from number 10 to number one: (Data based on TripTik.AAA.com searches from March 15 – June 14, 2020)

1. Denver, CO
2. Las Vegas, NV
3. Los Angeles, CA
4. Seattle, WA
5. Phoenix, AZ
6. Portland, OR
7. Myrtle Beach, SC
8. Orlando, FL
9. San Diego, CA
10. Nashville, TN

For travelers looking to plan their Great American Road Trip, AAA recommends visiting https://www.aaa.com/roadtrips/.

Hotels

AAA Travel data shows that when top destinations, including Las Vegas, Orlando and NYC,  were shut-down earlier in the year, bookings shifted to smaller destinations. As those top destinations begin to open, they are once again the top hotel destinations, though advance bookings in general are nearly 25% shorter than this time last year. Here are the top 10 most popular hotel destinations since mid-March based on AAA Travel bookings:

1. Las Vegas
2. Orlando
3. San Diego
4. New York City
5. Chicago
6. Nashville
7. Atlanta
8. Houston
9. Portland
10. San Antonio

For road trips that require an overnight stay, look for hotels with a AAA Diamond designation. For extra confidence, look for Diamond hotels that display a AAA Inspector’s Best Of Housekeeping badge. Property inspections were completed prior to February. However, to meet the criteria for this award, these hotels have received top marks for housekeeping excellence for two consecutive inspections and are free of AAA member complaints.

Prior to your hotel stay, AAA recommends calling ahead to ensure your hotel is still open and asking about any restrictions or changes to the check-in process. It’s likely that the hotel has reduced the number of times guests have face-to-face interactions with other guests and hotel staff. When you check into your room, remember to wipe down surfaces with disinfecting wipes. Pay special attention to surfaces such as light switches, door knobs, faucets and remote controls.

Know Before You Go

No matter how a traveler gets to their final destination, AAA recommends considering these points before you go:

• Check the CDC’s Covid-19 data tracker, municipal and state health departments and local news for updates on coronavirus cases and continue to do so while on the road.
• Visit AAA’s Covid-19 Travel Restrictions Map at TripTik.AAA.com for the latest state and local travel restrictions.
• Pack face coverings, gloves and cleaning supplies – like disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer – and a thermometer.
• Take all necessary travel documentation, including health insurance cards.

About the Survey:

Because of the pandemic’s impacts on travel, AAA did not release Memorial or Independence Day travel forecasts.  AAA’s Q3 projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a London-based business information provider. For the purposes of this forecast, the summer travel period is defined as July 1 through September 30. In cooperation with AAA, IHS Markit developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes, using macroeconomic drivers such as employment; output; household net worth; asset prices including stock indices; interest rates; housing market indicators and variables related to travel and tourism, including prices of gasoline, airline travel and hotel stays. The complete AAA/IHS Markit forecast is available here.

AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 78 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.  News releases are available at news.eastcentral.aaa.com.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

JW Hall’s in the Hopewell Shopping Center reopens at 11:30 a.m. today.  Owners Joe and louis hall closed the restaurant for 4 days  after finding out last Saturday that an employee who travelled tested positive for COVID19. According to the information provided by the owners to customers the employee last worked on June 16  and wore a mask at all times  along with the staff.  The Hall’s contacted health officials who told them they weren’t required to close, but decided to do so out of an abundance of caution. While closed the  Hall’s  were thoroughly sanitizing  the restaurant and testing employees.   They added that  the  health  and  safety of the  customers  is always our #1 priority.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Aliquippa City Council met via ZOOM  last night  and approved the purchase of 449 Franklin Avenue by Brian Cox and Olaolo Fasoranti and Zabriauer Smith  purchased 709 Dale Street on Plan 11.  The new owners of the properties that were in the county’s repository must pay all taxes from 2016  and 2017 and each year thereafter to the city , according to the resolution.

Father, 2 others charged in homicide of girl, 3
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — A man and two women in a Pittsburgh suburb are charged with criminal homicide in the death of his 3-year-old daughter, who was found badly bruised and malnourished. Authorities on Wednesday announced charges in the June 9 death of  Bella Seachrist. Detectives say the child suffered “prolonged physical and mental abuse.” Authorities have charged her father, 29-year-old Jose Salazar-Ortiz; her stepmother, 27-year-old Laura Ramriez; and Ramriez’s sister, 20-year-old Alexis Herrera, with criminal homicide, aggravated assault of a child, child endangerment and other counts. Salaza-Ortiz and Ramriez are held in the Allegheny County Jail. An arrest warrant has been issued for Herrera.

Pennsylvania lawmakers begin passing police reform bills
By MARK SCOLFORO and MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s House and Senate have begun passing legislation spurred by widespread protests over police brutality and the killing of George Floyd, including legislation designed to prevent “bad apples” from continuing to find employment in police departments. Wednesday’s votes were unanimous, although all four bills still require approval from the other chamber before going to Gov. Tom Wolf. One Senate bill requires police agencies to compile and report use of force incidents. The other bill bans police from using chokeholds. The House approved bills to train officers in how to interact with people of different racial and ethic backgrounds and require that an applicant’s former department provide information on the officer’s disciplinary history.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

How would YOU spend $14.8 million if you only had six months to spend it?

At the Commissioners work session on Wednesday, Solicitor Garen Fedeles announced a resolution for the next public meeting that could see Beaver County receive a lot of money courtesy of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) act:

The resolution will be one of several on the docket for the public meeting on Thursday, June 25. The meeting will begin at 10 AM.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp spoke at the Wednesday Work Session about a favor he asked of his fellow Commissioners…to provide fireworks for the citizens of Beaver County for Independence Day Weekend. Camp said that started a conversation that could see a celebration that, earlier in 2020, would have been deemed impossible.

The board is in negotiations and support with PUSH Beaver County, whose Beaver County BOOM celebration was nullified, like many county events, due to the coronavirus pandemic. PUSH co-chairman Mark Kopsack spoke about the miraculous nature of what could take place:

County Commissioners Tony Amadio and Jack Manning were in support of this display, though they both (along with Camp) asserted that those wanting to watch the fireworks continue to practice CDC safety guidelines. Manning specifically said that he sees the pandemic as a concern with numbers rising in Pennsylvania, but feels that an event like this can be pulled off safely and smartly.

If the fireworks happen, it’ll happen on the night of July 4th over the confluence of the Beaver and Ohio rivers. Citizens will be encouraged to practice social distancing and wear masks (although masks will not be required), and the usual side attractions and food trucks will be discouraged.