Record number of Ohioans expected to travel for Independence Day, all summer long
With the summer in full swing and Independence Day nearing, people are preparing to travel.
For the past two years-plus, people have put traveling on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now that's not much of a worry to many people.
"Only one in six American travelers say that COVID would impact their decision to travel," said Amir Eylon, president of Columbus-based travel research firm Longwoods International. "In fact, 40% of travelers say that COVID has no impact at all on their travel plans."
Still, as one challenge falls, another rises with historically-high gas prices around the country. That seems to be the main concern among travelers, but it's not enough to keep them off the roads.
AAA of Ohio expects there to be a record-number 2.2 million Ohioans traveling for Independence Day this year, an increase of 3.8%.
"Despite gas prices and travel prices being up across the board, people still want to get out and travel," Kimberly Schwind, director, public affairs for AAA Ohio, said.
"It seems we have this pent-up demand that a lot of people didn’t get to take those big trips because of the pandemic and the concerns and restrictions. They are ready to get out and travel. We are seeing really huge travel numbers this summer."
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How are people traveling
Although the pandemic seems to be off the minds of most travelers, according to Eylon, inflation is a real concern.
As gas prices soar, it makes driving — and flying — more difficult, but it hasn't forced people to cancel their travel plans. Many are adjusting to extended road trips, instead of flying. And some are reallocating their vacation budget instead of canceling plans all together.
According to Eylon, and the research done by his company Longwoods International, 39% of people who are worried about gas prices are traveling closer to home. Another 39% of people in the survey said they are reducing the number of trips they take.
"The biggest thing is that people want to go and want to travel. They are going to get there but they might reallocate their spending to stay within their budget," Eylon said. "Only 6% are choosing not to travel at all. Despite the inflation it’s going to be a good summer season here in Ohio."
Driving more bodes well for the Ohio economy, because it is within a day drive of many states in the region.
"It’s an affordable destination and regional drive market," he said.
But it's more than just out-of-state Ohioans choosing to drive. Ohioans are planning plenty of trips in-state as well. As part of the AAA research, hotel reservations are up 30%, Schwind said.
Ohioans are traveling to places such as Cedar Point, Lake Erie, Hocking Hills and many other places around the state, Schwind said.
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"A lot of Ohioans stay in Ohio, but also we see people going to Tennessee," she said. "And then also the East Coast beaches, driving to Myrtle beach."
As part of the AAA research, Schwind said, they've found that flights are down 1.2% from Independence Day last year. The positive aspect of driving, over flying, besides the high flight prices, is the ability to avoid delays and cancellations. This past weekend, according to a USA TODAY story, flight delays and cancellations exceeded 10,000.
With that news, and the announcement from AAA that 2.2 million Ohioans — and 47 million Americans — are expected to travel on Independence Day, that can cause some to drive instead of fly, Ike Reynolds, president of Reynolds Travel, said.
"All of a sudden now they've (the public) got reporting about how bad the Fourth of July travel can be for those flying and that certainly would have people thinking about "should I be flying, what about driving?" Reynolds said.
Regardless of whether people are flying, or driving, travel numbers being up is a good thing, Reynolds said. Still, despite the 3.8% increase expected on Independence Day over last year, he believes 2023 is the year travel numbers will get closer to where they were in 2019.
"Clearly travel is not back to where it was in 2019 but it sure is better than it was in 2020 and 2021," Reynolds said. "Everybody that I read is predicting 2023 probably to be that year that can overcome and exceed the 2019 numbers."
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Where are people going?
The pandemic created an opportunity for people to enjoy the great outdoors.
National and state parks remain high on the travelers' activity. lists, Schwind said. While domestic travel is the highest it's been, AAA has seen more people going to parks as the primary activity.
"Outdoor activities continue to be top of the list," she said.
According to Longwoods International research, 53% of travelers are going to visit family and friends, but 48% plan to travel to a beach, which is up from 43%. One of the highest jumps in the research is the interest in national parks and monuments, which is up to 34% from 28% last year.
"COVID kind of had a lot of people rediscovering the outdoors and they fell in love with it," Eylon said. "People are still seeking out more of the outdoor experiences. It bodes well for state parks, campgrounds, lakes and so forth."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Record number of Ohioans expected to travel for Independence Day
