Compared to last year, more Americans are packing their bags for Memorial Day trips, but not yet until 2019. (Creative Commons photo via Pxhere)
More Americans are packing their bags for Memorial Day weekend than last year, but the pre-pandemic summer trip hasn’t returned yet.
Both air and land travel remain depressed below pre-pandemic levels nationally, but show a marked increase as vaccination efforts continue and Centers for Disease Control guidelines update allows vaccinated people to travel without quarantine or testing. (The CDC also recommends that everyone wear a mask when traveling by bus, plane, train, or public transport.)
The auto service company AAA forecasts 37 million people will travel on Memorial Day weekend. That would be an increase of 60% over the same weekend in 2020.
Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a press release that there was a “strong desire” to go on vacation this year.
“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.
However, AAA predicts that there will be 6 million fewer travelers on the vacation weekend compared to 2019. This corresponds to a decrease of 13%.
The Iowa Tourism Office recorded similar rates of people traveling to the state this month. Travelers to Iowa rose 63.3% in May from May 2020, but tourism remains 11% below the same period in 2019.
“Travel is definitely on the rise,” said spokesman Kanan Kappelman.
For the vast majority of travelers likely to drive, gasoline prices remain elevated
The Iowa Tourism Office declared 2021 the “Year of the Road Trip,” and encouraged Iowans and nearby visitors to explore the state. On Thursday, the Tourist Office and the Ministry of Natural Resources announced new prices for the Iowa State Park Passport ProgramThis includes free t-shirts, outdoor gear, and Fitbit fitness trackers.
AAA estimates 34 million Americans will drive to Memorial Day travel, compared to just 2.5 million flights.
According to the gas price tracking app GasBuddy, road drivers, whether on their way to a state park or other festivals, will expect gas prices to rise throughout the summer. Petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan attributed the high prices partly to a sharp increase in demand. Oil producers, he said, are still working to increase production and catch up.
“The national average is projected to be at $ 2.98 on Memorial Day and likely to stay in the upper range of $ 2 per gallon or even lower of $ 3 per gallon as we approach midsummer, should gasoline demand rise to a record level, “said De Haan in a GasBuddy Q&A..
From Thursday afternoon it is The average gas price in Iowa was $ 2.89 and $ 3.04 nationally.
Air traffic far exceeds expectations in Des Moines and nationally
Passenger traffic at Des Moines International Airport in April was still well below pre-pandemic levels. In April 2019 241,156 passengers who flown in or out of the airportcompared to just 141,067 in 2021.
But in April 2021 you could still see one 1210% increase from April 2020when only 10,767 passengers passed the airport in a whole month.
Airport spokeswoman Kayla Kovarna said passenger numbers saw an increase in May, equivalent to about 75% of the cruise speed in May 2019. The current trip numbers at Des Moines International have exceeded the forecasts that the airport employees would not have expected a meeting until December.
Kovarna had no prediction how many passengers would pass Des Moines International on Memorial Day, but she reckoned it would be “a tough weekend”.
AAA predicts that 2.5 million people will board a flight across the country this weekend. That’s 750,000 fewer air travelers than on the same weekend in 2019, but still almost six times as many as on Memorial Day in 2020.
