ORLANDO, Fla. — While some families are sitting back and enjoying the long holiday weekend, many Americans are packing up cars and boarding flights around the country ready to travel over Memorial Day.
At Orlando International Airport, the terminals are staying busy as holiday travelers make their way through security. Sunday is projected to be the second busiest day of the holiday weekend with more than 64,000 people departing.
Memorial Day weekend is often very busy for travel in Orlando and across the country. Travel experts say more people are choosing central Florida to visit at this point in the pandemic.
What You Need To Know
The Sunshine State was a destination for many Americans over this past year of the pandemic, with many restaurants remaining open and beaches where families could social distance at.
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at UCF's Rosen College of Hospitality Management and Visit Orlando endowed chair of tourism market, Dr. Alan Fyall said in the past two, three months they've seen a big increase in the number of visitors traveling to central Florida, some eyeing vacations while others are coming for destination weddings put off by COVID-19's spread.
Earlier this week, the US hit a major milestone as the nation marked more than 50 percent of adults now considered fully vaccinated. Fyall said it's those people feeling safe after becoming fully vaccinated that will make this holiday weekend so busy for the weekend.
“This time last year, there was no travel so anything is an improvement. But I think the major players in this area, the theme parks, a lot of the hotels have done an extremely good job for the past eight or nine months they’ve been open, they’ve been cleaning, doing all the protocols. I think it’s the weather partly but I think people trust the main players here, they’re safe and they’re going to come and have a good time,” Fyall said.
Fyall said they're predicting a busy summer for the region's economy here in central Florida and that also comes down to more Americans getting their shots.
“It goes back to the vaccinations, that vaccination level is at 50 percent. It’s just the right time for these things to kick off and certainly, central Florida is slightly ahead of the curve actually. They’ve done, the city and the county, have done a good job in keeping this area in particular tourism friendly," Fyall said.
But not everyone will elect to travel to the sunshine state, instead Fyall said others will eye coastal communities across the country as well as national and state parks where there is plenty of room to safely enjoy the outdoors.
And while flight routes that are still happening are staying fairly full, Fyall said many families are expected to skip the airport trip entirely and drive to vacation destinations this summer to add another layer of safety.
The Link LonkMay 30, 2021 at 06:15PM
https://ift.tt/3yHMA18
Travelers descend on Orlando for busy holiday weekend - News 13 Orlando
https://ift.tt/2QoXNjh
Holiday
No comments:
Post a Comment