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A combination of factors ranging from lower air fares and lodging rates to a decrease in gas prices should lead to an increase in holiday travel during Thanksgiving weekend, an industry forecast showed.
About 2.5 million people are projected to travel in the mountain states during the period, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday. That would mark an increase of about 0.3 percent from the same holiday weekend in 2008, AAA Colorado said.
The mountain states are defined as Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
“I think people are feeling better about spending money on travel,” said Wave Dreher, a spokeswoman for AAA Colorado, on the projected rise in holiday travel.
Travelers are forecast to spend $677 per household with 34 cents of each dollar going on transportation costs. Shopping and entertainment is projected to average 30 cents of each dollar spent while food and beverage costs should average 22 cents of each dollar.
The remaining 14 cents of each dollar is directed toward accommodations.
Travelers should remain fairly close to their homes with 40 percent taking round trips of 250 miles or less. The average round trip for all travelers is pegged at 661 miles, which is similar to Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.
An estimated 84 percent of travelers are expected to use an automobile in their trek with 8 percent going by air. The other 8 percent are projected to travel via other means, such as trains or buses.
Locally, at Grand Junction Regional Airport, travelers are being advised to arrive at the venue about 90 minutes before the scheduled departure for their flights. The thinking is that it could take longer to clear security screening areas.
“We kind of switch from the business type to the leisure traveler, so security will move slower,” said airport manager Rex Tippetts on one of the differences between seasoned and casual passengers.
He said that the number of passengers is not likely to go up much during Thanksgiving weekend largely because “our planes are so full.”
The month of November is, historically, one of the slower travel periods at the airport, according to transportation data.
In contrast, officials at Denver International Airport are expecting more than 960,000 passengers to pass through the facility on Thanksgiving week. Officials said it could be the second-busiest Thanksgiving week in airport history.
Should the projection hold up it would surpass the 929,200 people who passed through the airport during Thanksgiving week last year. The busiest was in 2006 when 966,976 travelers passed through the airport.
Reach Wyatt Haupt Jr. at whaupt@gjfreepress.com.
About 2.5 million people are projected to travel in the mountain states during the period, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday. That would mark an increase of about 0.3 percent from the same holiday weekend in 2008, AAA Colorado said.
The mountain states are defined as Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.
“I think people are feeling better about spending money on travel,” said Wave Dreher, a spokeswoman for AAA Colorado, on the projected rise in holiday travel.
Travelers are forecast to spend $677 per household with 34 cents of each dollar going on transportation costs. Shopping and entertainment is projected to average 30 cents of each dollar spent while food and beverage costs should average 22 cents of each dollar.
The remaining 14 cents of each dollar is directed toward accommodations.
Travelers should remain fairly close to their homes with 40 percent taking round trips of 250 miles or less. The average round trip for all travelers is pegged at 661 miles, which is similar to Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends.
An estimated 84 percent of travelers are expected to use an automobile in their trek with 8 percent going by air. The other 8 percent are projected to travel via other means, such as trains or buses.
Locally, at Grand Junction Regional Airport, travelers are being advised to arrive at the venue about 90 minutes before the scheduled departure for their flights. The thinking is that it could take longer to clear security screening areas.
“We kind of switch from the business type to the leisure traveler, so security will move slower,” said airport manager Rex Tippetts on one of the differences between seasoned and casual passengers.
He said that the number of passengers is not likely to go up much during Thanksgiving weekend largely because “our planes are so full.”
The month of November is, historically, one of the slower travel periods at the airport, according to transportation data.
In contrast, officials at Denver International Airport are expecting more than 960,000 passengers to pass through the facility on Thanksgiving week. Officials said it could be the second-busiest Thanksgiving week in airport history.
Should the projection hold up it would surpass the 929,200 people who passed through the airport during Thanksgiving week last year. The busiest was in 2006 when 966,976 travelers passed through the airport.
Reach Wyatt Haupt Jr. at whaupt@gjfreepress.com.
