TOWSON, Md. (WJZ) – The holidays may seem a little different this year, as many people plan to stay home instead of traveling to see family or friends, as the pandemic shows no signs of being missed for the holiday season. .
AAA said in a new report Monday that three-quarters of Americans are expected to stay home and that 30% less travel is expected from Marylanders. They are expected to travel up to 1.76 million.
Despite this drop, AAA expects 84.5 million Americans to still be able to travel from December 23 to January 3, a decrease of at least 29%.
Road trips will be large, with up to 1.69 million Marylanders driving.
For those who drove, gasoline prices remained about 34 cents cheaper than at that time last year, until December 18th.
“Normally, lower petrol prices are an incentive for last-minute travel, especially during the holidays, but lower prices and lower traffic are not the decisions driving on the road this year,” he said. mid-Atlantic spokeswoman Ragina Ali. “Americans are looking at the public health landscape, including COVID-19 case numbers, to make their travel decisions.”
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
“Although Thanksgiving traditionally takes place with friends and family, the end-of-year holidays are when Americans often venture out for longer, more elaborate vacations. That will not be the case this year, ”he added. “Public health issues, official guidelines for not traveling, and the general decline in consumer sentiment have encouraged the vast majority of Americans to stay home during the holidays.”
Gov. Larry Hogan announced new testing and quarantine requirements and encouraged Marylanders to stay home this year. The Maryland Department of Health also added public health advice that warned Marylanders of all non-essential activities and limited meetings to 10 people.
AAA reports that road trips will decrease, but it remains the preferred way to travel to Americans. Road trips account for 96% of vacation trips, with up to 81 million Americans traveling by car.
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