AAA estimates that 2024 is expected to see record numbers of tourists.
Overall AAA estimate From Saturday, December 21st to Wednesday, January 1st, more than 119 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles to conclude the New Year holidays. If this number is maintained, it will break the previous record. 2019.
That's about 3 million more people than last year, when just over 116 million people traveled.
According to the breakdown, most of the 107 million people are expected to travel by car, with 2.5 million more people traveling by car in 2023, followed by 7.85 million people by plane, 4.47 million by train, bus, etc. They are expected to travel by “other” means such as buses. And cruise.
AAA estimates that most choose to travel by car because of the lower costs and overall flexibility that air travel doesn't offer.
According to the press release:
AAA predicts that air travel will set a new record this holiday season with 7.85 million passengers. This number exceeds the previous record of 7.5 million air travelers last year. Airline tickets this holiday season are 4% more expensive than last year, according to AAA reservations data. The average domestic ticket costs $830. International flights are 13% more expensive, averaging $1,630 per ticket.
Many Americans were feeling the downside of air travel on Christmas Eve, as all American Airlines flights were grounded in the United States early Tuesday morning due to technical issues.
However, driving also has its drawbacks. AAA lists the longest car travel times as Thursday, Dec. 26, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Dec. 27, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Dec. 28, from 1:30 p.m. We allow minutes to 7pm. 12:00 PM, December 29th from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, December 30th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, January 2nd from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
“This is a time when lifelong memories are made with loved ones, and travel plays a big part in that,” Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement.
“With Christmas falling on a Wednesday this year, we expect record numbers of travelers on the weekends around the holiday,” she added.
The forecast follows AAA's Thanksgiving forecast, which estimated a record number of nearly 80 million travelers for that holiday period as well.
