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(The Center Square) – Unlike last Christmas when many Americans lived in states that were still under lockdown, an estimated 109 million people will be leaving for Christmas and New Years this year, AAA reports, a 34% increase over that Previous year.
“Americans who canceled their vacation in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, even though they will continue to be aware of the pandemic and the new variant of Omicron.” Paula Twidale, Senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “Since vaccines are widely used, the conditions are very different and many people feel more comfortable traveling.”
Travelers are expected to travel distances of 50 miles or more between December 23 and January 2 when they get on the road, board planes, or book other modes of transportation.
The additional 27.7 million people traveling this year bring vacation travel 92% of 2019 levels, AAA notes, with airlines seeing a 184% year-over-year increase.
Road trips remain the most popular means of travel, according to the AAA, as more than 100 million people plan to drive to their destinations, even though gasoline cost $ 1.25 a gallon more than a year ago. More than 6 million people are expected to travel by air; 3 million people book buses, trains and cruises, reports AAA.
Americans mostly travel to warmer climates this holiday season, mostly where there are theme parks and resorts.
Most bookings are made for trips to Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California – home of Disney World and Disneyland, respectively.
The difference is that those who travel to Florida experience little or no restrictions compared to those who travel to California. Florida has no restrictions on interstate travel compared to masks and other restrictions in California, the AAA card notes.
Florida, which has no coronavirus restrictions, dominates the US tourism industry earlier this year, six months before Christmas and vacation travel, VISIT FLORIDA, the state tourism agency, reported that 31.7 million people traveled to Florida from April to June 2021 , with the majority coming from other countries.
“Florida continues to serve as an example to the country that if you turn down bans and unnecessary mandates your economy will thrive,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “Not only did Florida have more visitors in the second quarter than we did in 2020, but the data also shows that domestic visits have already fully recovered to 2019 levels.”
DeSantis also recognized the dedication of the thousands of Florida business owners “who have shown the utmost commitment to their employees and customers” and the marketing efforts of VISIT FLORIDA.
California, a state that reported a population decline for the first time in its history in 2020, has never lifted its state of emergency, only reintroducing a nationwide indoor mask mandate, which is expected to last until at least January 15.
Last year, California recommended a 14-day quarantine for overseas travelers. Hotels were not allowed to accept reservations for non-state travelers for non-essential travel unless they booked a reservation for the 14-day minimum quarantine period. Disneyland closed in March 2020 and did not reopen until April of this year.
However, Florida was the first state to fully reopen with the opening of Disney World by the end of 2020. First, guests were required to wear face covers, undergo a temperature check, and make a reservation before visiting any of the parks. This year, reservations are still required throughout the holiday season and through 2022.
To help travelers understand COVID-19 related closures, recommendations, and requirements for travel in the United States, AAA has released a COVID-19 Travel Restrictions card.
It also notes that in addition to Orlando and Anaheim, Las Vegas, New York City, Maui, Honolulu, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Phoenix, and San Diego are other top US destinations.
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