More than 2.98 million Southern California residents are expected to travel over the Fourth of July weekend, up slightly from last year and the most in eight years, the Automobile Club of Southern California predicted today.
This year’s number of Independence Day travelers is expected to be the highest since 2007, when 3 million Southern California residents — and 4.88 million people statewide — took trips for the holiday, according to the Auto Club.
“There is a continued overall increase in the amount being spent for travel this summer because consumers have confidence in their ability to afford vacations,” according to Filomena Andre, vice president of travel products and services for the Auto Club. “While the number of travelers is not increased greatly overall this Fourth of July, the summer vacation season is doing very well.”
The bulk of people traveling this weekend — 79 percent, or 2.4 million – – are expected to drive to their destinations, up 0.4 percent from last year’s 2.2 million. Another 355,000 are expected to travel by air, up 1.4 percent from 338,000 in 2014.
Across California, 4.8 million people are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, up 0.5 percent from last year, with 3.69 million traveling by car and 573,000 taking to the air, according to the Auto Club. Nationwide, about 41.9 million people are expected to travel, up from 41.6 million last year.
The top destinations for Southern California residents are expected to be:
— Las Vegas;
— San Diego;
— San Francisco;
— the Central Coast, from Santa Barbara to Monterey; and
— a tie between the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
