A significant rebound in tourism to and from Florida is expected over the Memorial Day holiday.
AAA, the Auto Club Group, anticipates more than 37 million Americans, including 2 million Floridians, to travel for the holiday weekend.
That’s 60% more travelers than 2020, even though it still marks a dip from pre-pandemic tourism numbers for Memorial Day.
“A year’s worth of pent-up demand is being unleashed this summer, as Americans anticipate the kickoff to the season,” said Debbie Haas, AAA’s vice president of travel. “Travel bookings with AAA have surged recently, setting the stage for what should be a busy holiday weekend and an exciting summer.”
Going into the height of the peak travel season, signs of tourism steadily improving came this month when Visit Florida released its preliminary visitor numbers for the first three months of 2021.
The state’s public-private tourism marketer reported more than 26 million people visited Florida from January to March 2021, marking an improvement over each of the last three quarters.
However, it was still down 14% from January to March 2020, the last pre-pandemic quarter, when more than 30 million visitors came to Florida.
Road Trips Remain King
In what appears to be tradition in AAA’s holiday travel outlooks, the vast majority of surveyed travelers — 34 million out of 37 million — plan to take road trips.
With more people traveling this year, analysts are concerned whether there’s enough gasoline to meet increased demand.
These worries were exacerbated by the ransomware attack at the Colonial Pipeline that led to its shutdown earlier this month, sparking gas shortages from panic buying.
While the Colonial Pipeline serves about 45% of the U.S. East Coast, it only serves a small portion of Florida’s Panhandle, according to AAA. Almost all of Florida’s fuel comes from cargo ships, not pipelines.
AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said Florida currently is well supplied with gasoline and no shortages exist.
Yet, even fears of a shortage may lead to higher gas prices. And travelers already are seeing higher gas prices compared with 2020 and pre-pandemic travel seasons, Jenkins said.
But he thinks the pent-up vacation demand will prevail against any future gas price increases.
“Many Americans are so eager to travel, we don’t expect higher gas prices to interfere with their plans,” Jenkins said. “We typically find when pump prices increase, travelers look for more free activities or eat out less while on vacation, but still take their planned trips.”
Air Travel
AAA’s booking data found Orlando is the most popular overall destination for Memorial Day vacations, but ranks No. 2 behind Las Vegas for road trip destinations.
And if some of those Orlando travelers plan to come by plane, that’s good news for passenger traffic at airports.
Staff at Orlando International Airport anticipates domestic air travel this summer will increase over 2020, as well as 2019, Visit Orlando President and CEO Casandra Matej said.
Airport staff anticipates Memorial Day weekend will come close to pre-pandemic levels with about 300,000 estimated departures from May 27 to June 1. It’s about 40,000 fewer departures than 2019.
“Our Memorial Day holiday passenger forecast indicates that we are approaching 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels, which is a testament to the resiliency of Central Florida,” says Phil Brown, CEO of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. “A combination of factors including the vaccines, availability of seats into the market and pent-up demand all point to a potentially strong summer travel season.”
Nationwide, AAA is expecting about 2.5 million air travelers for Memorial Day weekend, marking a 577% increase for the holiday.
What to Expect
Tourism’s recovery from COVID-19 is proving to be as fluid a situation as the shutdowns.
Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently stating that fully vaccinated people may resume activities without masks or social distancing, guidance on mask-wearing will vary based on the destination and mode of travel.
People are required to wear a mask when traveling on public transportation like airplanes, buses and trains and when in transportation hubs like airports and train stations, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
But once people reach their destinations, they may find loosened mask requirements.
For instance, Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort are no longer requiring masks outdoors, though park guests must wear them in shops, restaurants and ride queues. And masks won’t be required for fully vaccinated guests at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.
Travelers should also expect reduced capacity at some destinations and hotels, and some services may not be available, said AAA’s Haas.
“For many people, this will be their first summer vacation in two years, and things will look a little different,” she said.
Senior writer Michael Salerno can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5369, or michael.salerno@thevillagesmedia.com.
The Link LonkMay 28, 2021 at 05:00PM
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Travel outlook surges for holiday weekend | News - The Villages Daily Sun
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