The U.S. authorities recently announced that they expect more than 37 million nationals to travel within the United States during the long weekend for Memorial Day (May 27-30). The number is 60% higher than in 2020, so they estimate that the country’s domestic tourism has begun to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.
The Vice President of Travel for the American Automobile Association (AAA), Debbie Haas, said that “For many people, this will be their first summer vacation in two years, and things will look a little different”. In this sense, Haas recalled that the 23 million travelers on Memorial Day 2020 were the lowest number for those dates since 2000.
According to estimates by the AAA, which runs its own travel agency, it will be “a busy holiday weekend and an exciting summer”. Likewise, the association recalled that domestic travel and road trips will continue to be what pushes the recovery of tourism in the near term.
Some of the most popular destinations are Las Vegas, Nevada, and the theme parks in Orlando, Florida, followed by Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Denver, Colorado; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Finally, AAA noted that of the 37 million that is estimated to travel this year, 34 million Americans are planning to do so by car (52% increase compared to 2020) and 2.5 million by plane (577% more). The figures are still lower when compared to 2019, decreasing by 9% for road trips, 23% for flights, and 88% for other means of transport (buses, trains, cruises).
