As summer winds down, many Americans are heading out of town this weekend, creating extra traffic on most highways, particularly Friday afternoon and again on Monday, according to the American Automobile Association.
AAA says bookings for flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises show Labor Day weekend travel is up over last year with domestic travel up 4% and international travel jumping by 44%.
“Labor Day weekend will be the big sendoff to what has been an extremely busy summer travel season,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA — The Auto Club Group, said in report on the upcoming three-day holiday weekend.
In Chattanooga, local attractions and hotels have gotten extra tourism business from those fleeing hurricane Idalia and heading north out of storm-hit regions of Florida and Georgia.
“We’ve had a strong summer and we’re looking forward to a busy Labor Day weekend,” Ruby Falls spokeswoman Lara Caughman said in an emailed statement Thursday. “This week we’ve seen an increase in the number of guests from Florida passing through Chattanooga due to Hurricane Idalia. From our ticket sales for Labor Day weekend visits, we know lots of folks are planning ahead and not waiting until the last minute to make travel plans.”