SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. - AAA released its 2022 Memorial Day Weekend and summer travel forecasts Tuesday morning, predicting a large increase that brings travel numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
Summer traffic will be on fire - that's hot off the presses from that AAA report. The fire will be ignited Memorials Day weekend, which is projected to be the busiest in two years, just shy of 2019 levels.
"We saw a travel rebound beginning last Thanksgiving, and that has continued into spring, reason being many people feel that that vacation that has been postponed due to COVID was long overdue," said Public Relations Specialist for AAA Mid-Atlantic, Jana Tidwell.
Over 39 million American are expected to travel up to 50 miles away from their homes for Memorial Day. That would be a more than 8% increase from last year and the second largest jump since 2010. And it sets the tone for the whole summer.
"Memorial Day weekend is really the benchmark for the rest of the summer," Tidwell said.
Southern Delaware Tourism expects its visitor numbers to align with those prediction, and says it's already before Memorial Day.
"People are already here," said Southern Delaware Tourism Executive Director, Scott Thomas. "The travel season starts earlier and earlier in Sothern Delaware now, just as it ends later and later with each year."
More travel means more traffic, and AA says to expect the most a few days before and after the holiday.
"The busiest travel day of Memorial Day weekend will be the Thursday before Memorial Day," Tidwell said. "Now ,with the ability to work remotely and go to school remotely, people have more flexibility than in years past."
That's all despite rising fuel prices, which reached a record high once again in Delaware on Tuesday, at $4.46 a gallon.
"They're telling us high gas prices are not a huge factor in their decision," Tidwell said of travelers. "It’s been a long time, and people are ready to go and they’re going to find a way."
All of these are nationwide projections. Memorial Day and summer travel forecasts specific to Delaware come out on Thursday. Both Delaware and Maryland's travel trends are expected to match national ones.