No place like the road for holidays

Las Vegas Valley expects about 320,000 visitors

Even though Las Vegas isn’t considered a traditional destination for Christmas, about 320,000 people are expected to roll into town between Dec. 22 and Dec. 26, the Nevada Department of Transportation predicted Monday.

About 60 percent of those visitors are expected to drive to Las Vegas, with the heaviest traffic anticipated along Interstate 15 and the Strip, Transportation Department spokesman Tony Illia said.

Nationally, AAA is forecasting 107.3 million people will travel from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, a 3.1 percent increase from last year and a record for the year-end holiday period. About 97 million holiday travelers will drive to their destinations, AAA predicted.

About 595,000 airline passengers will pass through Mccarran International Airport during the Christmas travel period that starts Friday and runs through Dec. 26 — roughly the same number as last year, airport spokeswoman Christine Crews said.

Nationally, about 51 million travelers will take to the skies for Christmas and New Year’s Day, a

3.5 percent increase from last year, according to Airlines for America, an industry trade group.

Airport officials advised travelers to leave at least two hours before scheduled departure times, mostly because of long lines for ticketing and security.

Las Vegas Valley residents also have travel plans for the holidays, with nearly one-third of local residents planning to go out of town, a AAA survey released last week shows.

About 60 percent of people with travel plans said they plan to stay within the Silver State, AAA spokesman Michael Blasky said.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @Amarroquin_ LV on Twitter.