Jay and Terry Erickson of Florida are headed to Gatlinburg to meet family for the Fourth of July weekend.
The couple, who haven’t made the trip for a few years, will join hundreds of thousands of motorists whom travel industry watchers predict will hit the roads this summer as the economy improves.
AAA reports double-digit increases in travel across the South as the Great Recession’s grip eases.
“When you look at this economy compared to last year’s, you see that we were in far worse shape back then,” said Jessica Brady, a Tampa, Fla.-based spokeswoman for AAA. “A lot of people didn’t take advantage of their holiday weekends.”
This year, AAA says nearly 630,000 Tennessee residents are expected to travel by car 50 miles or farther over the July 4 holiday weekend, which officially begins today. That’s 16 percent more than last year.
Georgia will see more than 830,000 residents take to the road.
“Those numbers just include in-state travelers,” Ms. Brady said. “While there will be 600,000 more people on the road, it’s going to be far more crowded when you count the out-of-state travelers coming into the state.”
Georgia officials say their tourism season, like Tennessee’s, is looking solid.
“So far, from anecdotal reports, we are seeing a strong summer shaping up in Georgia,” said Kevin Langston, deputy commissioner for tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We have plenty of Fourth of July activities, including fireworks and festivals, so we look forward to a big holiday weekend.”
GAS PRICESThe price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Georgia has stabilized over the last three years.2008: $4.8582009: $2.496Now: $2.637Source: AAA Fuel Gauge ReportJULY 4 TRAVEL BY THE NUMBERS630,771 auto travelers from Tennessee834,641 auto travelers from Georgia34.9 Americans will travel this weekendSource: AAA Auto Club South
On a normal day, 3,750 travelers go through the Tennessee Welcome Center on Interstate 75. But this week, officials expect about 6,250 visitors a day.
“People are already coming through,” welcome center manager Jan Elliott said. “People are telling us they are going to Nashville and the Smoky Mountains.”
Some tourists are diverting from Gulf Coast destinations, fearful about the threat of oil washing up on the beaches, she said.
Stable gas prices also are a factor, Ms. Brady said. Had prices reached the $3 mark this spring, as some analysts predicted, travel might not be so strong.
In 2008, record high gas prices were set in July when a gallon of regular unleaded reached $4.86 a gallon.
Locally, Chattanooga tourism officials expect to see throngs of visitors over the holiday weekend. Spring Break visitation was very strong, and recent studies conducted for the Tennessee Aquarium indicate Chattanooga should have healthy numbers, they say.
“Research shows that last year people stayed close to home,” aquarium spokesman Thom Benson said. “This year, they intend to take regional trips, and next year they plan to take bigger trips, assuming the economy continues to improve.”
That enthusiasm is shared across the country, Ms. Brady said.
“Optimism is high this year for Independence Day travel, as more Americans report they plan to travel this year since they stayed home last year, mainly for financial reasons,” she said.
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