Complete Story
06/21/2024
06/21/2024: Ohio's Travel Industry and Current Travel Research
AAA PROJECTS 70.9 MILLION TRAVELERS WILL TRAVEL 50 MILES OR MORE FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY, INCREASING 8% FROM 2019. 60.6 MILLION OF THESE TRAVELERS WILL TAKE A ROAD TRIP TO REACH THEIR DESTINATION FOR THE BIG CELEBRATION.
Key findings from AAA Newsroom, fielded May 2024:
- AAA projects 70.9 million travelers will travel 50 miles or more for the Fourth of July. This is a 5% increase compared to 2023 and 8% increase over 2019.
- More Americans are taking extended trips due to summer vacations and remote work flexibility.
- AAA projects a record 60.6 million people will travel by car leading up to July 4 and following. This is an increase of 2.8 million travelers compared to last year and surpasses 2019 numbers.
- Gas prices are lower than last year and expected to remain stable until after Labor Day.
- AAA projects a record number of air travelers (5.74 million) for Independence Day. This is a 7% increase compared to last year and 12% increase over 2019.
- More than 4.6 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation (bus, cruise, train). This is a 9% increase compared to last year but lower than 2019 figures.
AMERICAN TRAVELERS SHARE THEIR INTEREST IN USING ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR ROAD TRIPS. AMERICANS ALSO SHARE WHERE THEY PLAN TO VISIT THIS SUMMER AND THEIR PERCEPTION CUSTOMERS SERVICE.
Key findings form Longwoods International, fielded June 12:
- 23% indicated concerns about personal financial situation would greatly impact their decision to travel in the next six months, down from 29% in May.
- American travelers' interest in using Electric Vehicles (EVs) for trips has decreased:
- Only 24% used an EV in the past 6 months, down from 29%
- Only 26% are likely to use an EV on their next trip, down from 37%
- Summer travel activities for Americans include:
- Visiting friends and family (56%)
- Visiting beaches (51%)
- Taking a road trip (49%)
- Exploring cities (42%)
- Visiting a winery, brewery, or distillery (19%)
- Perception of travel customer service is improving. 68% report same service level as pre-pandemic where as 13% report lower service level, down from 22%.
