The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
National Gas Price Average
PHILADELPHIA » The spread of the coronavirus has had a significant impact on the travel and tourism industry, as stay at home orders were issued to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
Those orders have been lifted as states reopen, and people are making travel plans.
According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, booking trends show Americans are taking a more “wait and see approach” when it comes to booking travel, are more spur of the moment and are likely to book more long weekend getaways.
As a result, AAA is estimating that summer travel will decline this year for the first time since 2009 — by about 15% compared to 2019.
For the July through September time period, AAA estimates 707 million trips this year, down from 857 million trips during the same period in 2019.
While car travel is traditionally the main way people travel during the summer months, that trend is more pronounced this year, according to Kathleen Zinszer, a spokeswoman for AAA.
“Travel is a very personal decision, and comfort level plays a big part in that decision,” she said in a Friday interview. “People are opting to take road trips — for comfort — but also because they can travel when they want and schedule their stops. People will do some research to do what makes them feel safe.”
She added that AAA expects to see the return of the “Great American Road Trip” as cars are expected to account for 97% of vacations. Car trips will also see the smallest decrease in travel volume of just 3% year-over-year.
Of the 707 million trips this summer, 683 million will be car trips. In contrast, air travel is expected to be down by about 74%, while rail, cruise ship and bus travel is anticipated to slide by 86%.
If not for the pandemic, AAA said it would be projecting an increase in travel for the summer period of about 3.6%, or 857 million trips over last year.
AAA travel experts have begun to see positive trends in travel, according to the release, noting that hotel and rental car bookings have been gradually increasing
Kathleen Zinszer, AAA spokeswoman since April.
When it comes to destinations, the pandemic has resulted in increased popularity for some and decreased popularity for others, Zinszer added. For example, Orlando, Fla., has dropped from the top searched city destination to number eight while Denver, Colo. Climbed from number 10 to number one, according to AAA TripTik searches.
AAA expects the national gas price to average near $2.25 per gallon for the third quarter of 2020, which will be a 15% decline from the $2.66 average seen last summer. This will be the cheapest summer for filling-up since 2016.
Across the Greater Philadelphia Region, on Friday, June 26, gas prices averaged $2.36 per gallon, down 50 cents from last year. South Jersey and Delaware drivers are paying $2.11 per gallon — each region at least 35 cents less than one year ago.
To estimate traffic levels travelers are expected to see once on the road, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, analyzed the top 20 metropolitan areas and all states. While the top 20 metro areas will remain below typical traffic congestion, a number of states could expect to see traffic congestion rise to normal levels — but still be below usual summer traffic patterns, according to the findings.
“While the amount people drive is still low for this time of year, we know millions will be taking road trips in the months ahead. The good news is, the congestion they will encounter is nowhere near what we typically see in a summer,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX.
“Travel is a very personal decision, and comfort level plays a big part in that decision. People are opting to take road trips — for comfort — but also because they can travel when they want and schedule their stops. People will do some research to do what makes them feel safe.”
Know Before You Go
AAA recommends drivers have an emergency kit in the car, which includes some new items this year.
“This time consider safety precautions for COVID. Have masks
— you might want to bring extras and think about the people you are traveling with. Have gloves, cleaning supplies, wipes, hand sanitizer, and maybe a thermometer,” Zinszer said. “A lot of places will say things have been disinfected. Now you have the supplies with you.”
She also suggested checking with the hotel and places you plan to visit.
“You don’t want to go somewhere and find things are closed or have limited capacity,” she added.
AAA also recommends checking for updates on coronavirus through the CDC’s COVID-19 data tracker, municipal and state health departments and local news outlets.
Because of the pandemic’s impacts on travel, AAA did not release Memorial or Independence Day travel forecasts. AAA’s Q3 projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a London-based business information provider.