The number of Americans traveling during the July 4th holiday weekend
will increase 1.2 percent from a year ago, the smallest rise since 2000,
as high fuel costs cause people to cut back, AAA said. A record 40.7
million Americans will take trips during the long weekend, the summer’s
biggest travel holiday, up from 40.2 million last year, according to the
AAA forecast.
Approximately 34.3 million people will travel by car, up 1.3
percent from last year, the report said. About 14 percent of the U.S.
population will travel by road, rail or air over the holiday. Rising
fuel prices have resulted in a 29 percent rise in gas from a year ago.
Regular self-serve gasoline averaged $2.859 a gallon nationwide, AAA
reported. The top U.S. travel destination will be Orlando, Florida.
Research for the July 4th holiday travel was based on a survey of
1,500 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, for AAA.
