MEMORIAL DAY TRAVEL IN TEXAS EXPECTED TO REBOUND ABOVE PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS
Memorial Day travel this year in Texas is projected to hit levels not seen since before the pandemic.
According to AAA Texas, an estimated 3.5 million Texans will travel 50 miles or more from home over Memorial Day weekend. That number is up 0.1 percent from 2019, up 7 percent from 2022 and the second-highest total travel volume for Memorial Day since 2000.
The predicted 3.5 million travelers includes 3 million who will be driving, down 0.3 percent from 2019 but up 6 percent from 2022; 287,000 who will be flying, up 9 percent from 2019 and up 13 percent from last year; and 148,000 taking a bus, train or cruise, down 8 percent from 2019 but up 20 percent from a year ago.
Per AAA Texas, the top road trip destinations for Texas this Memorial Day are Destin and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and San Diego, California.
The busiest day of travel, according to transportation data provider INRIX, is expected to be Friday, May 26th, while the lightest traffic will be on Saturday and Sunday. The least congested times on the roads will be in the morning hours – except during rush hour – and in the evening after 6 p.m.
The record for Memorial Day travel was set in 2005, with 3.6 million travelers. The lowest Memorial Day travel recorded since 2000 was in 2020, at 1.9 million people. Prior to that, 2009 was the lowest year for Memorial Day travel.