37 mn People to journey throughout Memorial Day weekend as tourism picks up

More than 37 million Americans are expected to travel as United States during Memorial Day holiday weekend tourism has recovered significantly after more than a year of the Covid 19 pandemic.

From May 27 through May 31, more than 37 million Americans are expected to be 50 miles or more from home, a 60 percent increase over the previous year when only 23 million traveled, the American Automobile Association (AAA) said on Friday With.

The expected sharp surge in demand from last year’s vacation, which declined in the early stages of the pandemic, still represents 13 percent, or nearly 6 million fewer travelers than the Memorial Day holidays in 2019, Xinhua news agency quoted the AAA as saying .

AAA booking data also shows that domestic travel and road trips remain the top drivers of travel recovery in the short term, with Orlando and Las Vegas being the top Memorial Day destinations this year.

“As more people get the Covid-19 vaccine and consumer confidence grows, Americans show a strong desire to travel on Memorial Day,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel.

“This pent-up demand will result in a significant spike in Memorial Day travel, which is a strong indicator of the summer, although we must all remember to continue to take critical safety precautions,” Twidale said.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) data also showed that more than 1.85 million people passed TSA checkpoints at airports across the country on Thursday, compared to just 321,776 the same day last year.

Wells Fargo Securities economists Mark Vitner and Charlie Dougherty say more than half of the US adult population is recovering from vaccinated and convincing new cases of Covid, air travel, hotel bookings and visitor numbers to tourist attractions in the most popular destinations.

“The shift in travel is associated with a significant increase in economic activity. The reduction in Covid risks, multiple rounds of fiscal incentives, and pent-up demand lasting over a year have led to an increase in consumer spending.” The economists wrote in an analysis on Friday.

Another contributing factor to the expected increase in travel is the recently updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that fully vaccinated individuals can travel domestically at low risk, according to the AAA.

In the meantime, many states and local governments are following CDC guidelines by completely lifting all remaining operating restrictions on businesses, including theme parks, sports facilities, and entertainment venues.

Vitner and Dougherty believed that total US travel and tourism “appear ready to go” this year while the recovery comes with some risks.

“The trip and tourism The industry has not been immune to the supply shortages that are currently hindering nearly every aspect of the economy, “they wrote, noting that hotels and restaurants are struggling to find the workforce they need.

Persistent concerns about the virus, the difficulty of finding affordable childcare, higher transportation costs and expanded unemployment benefits make it difficult for economists to recruit, according to economists.

The U.S. leisure and hospitality industry created 331,000 jobs in April, but the industry only regained around 65 percent of the 8.2 million jobs lost during the lockdown last year.

“Despite this supply headwind, conditions in the travel and tourism industry will improve significantly in 2021 and that should become increasingly evident as the summer travel season begins this weekend,” concluded Vitner and Dougherty.

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(Only the headline and image of this report may have been updated by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)