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More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel or fly for Thanksgiving this year. AAA says it’s the third-highest forecast for Thanksgiving in the last 23 years.
Lauren Duffy, an associate professor who teaches courses on tourism at Clemson University, said people have confidence in the relative stability of the economy and the growth of the project. That confidence is something that drives more people to cross the river and forest this year. .
But the travel habit of baby boomers in particular, the trend of combining business and excitement in vacation excursions and the fallout from the pandemic are also driving the rise in travel. The result can be longer vacations and additional expenses that can be very much a part of South Carolina’s Thanksgiving holiday, he adds.
What’s noteworthy is an 8% increase in the number of baby boomers expected to travel during the holidays, Duffy said. They plan to travel farther afield, but not necessarily make a stopover in a circle of family and friends, Duffy said. Many will take a four-day vacation and also turn this vacation into time for themselves.
“Places like Hilton Head and Kiawah Island will probably see this market,” Duffy told the Beaufort Gazette and the Island Packet, “people who not only have relatives but also take vacations. “
The stable fuel will also inspire them to drive, giving them more flexibility than flying.
Another increase in the population of travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday this year is the rise of so-called “leisure” trips, which refer to those who are likely to combine business and leisure, writing a few emails before sipping cocktails while visiting family. Duffy said.
Coming out of the pandemic, a phenomenon known as “revenge trips,” or other people taking longer trips lost to COVID-19, spread across the country but declined, Duffy said. The pandemic has also led to the emergence of virtual nomads. making it possible to travel while painting. More and more people are returning to physical painting venues. However, the combination of painting and personal life has become part of the way we think about vacations, resulting in longer trips and a greater combination. of paintings and games, Duffy says.
“A lot of other people come around waiting to plan their work,” Duffy says.
AAA forecasts 55. 4 million travelers nationwide, representing a 2. 3% increase from Thanksgiving 2022. Four of the most sensible domestic destinations are Florida cities, with Orlando topping the list.
Bill Oldendorf, owner of Points South KOA Campground outside Yemasse, 25 miles northwest of Beaufort, is well positioned to take advantage of the Thanksgiving rush. It is located on Interstate 95, near exit 33, where 50,000 cars pass through. each and every day.
Some of the visitors to Points South KOA in Oldendorf will be weary travelers who make a stopover from the north and head south to escape the dead or family. Others will be “stay-at-home people,” citizens of Bluffton, Sea Islands or Charleston, who abandon long commutes to work or a long day cooking at home for a four-day camping trip.
Thanksgiving dinner at KOA has a tradition.
Points South supplies the turkey. Guests participate from the sides. The culture at the 40-year-old Points South KOA began a decade ago and spread temporarily, with other people returning year after year, said Oldendorf, who owns the camp with her daughter, Jennifer Mason.
“Everyone likes to take sides, and you end up with a whole camp full of other people having a big Thanksgiving dinner,” Oldfinishorf says.
After the pandemic hit, other people started going and spending four or five nights at the KOA, but the behavior is starting to return to pre-pandemic routines and other people are staying fewer days.
The extended Thanksgiving holiday, he adds, allows other people to stay longer at the KOA’s 49 sites, as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a special Thanksgiving of camaraderie among campers “who love potluck nights. “
“Next week is going to be very busy,” Oldendorf said Friday.
The majority of Thanksgiving travelers (about 49. 1 million) will drive to their destinations. On Friday, the value of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3. 333, up from $3. 725 a year ago. In South Carolina, AAA said the average value was $2,961.
Another 4. 7 million people will fly during Thanksgiving, up 6. 6% from 2022 and the number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2005.
“We expect a lot of activity,” said Lori Lynah, a spokeswoman for Savannah International Airport/Hilton Head.
The airport expects up to 80,000 total passengers to travel Thanksgiving week, a 10% increase from last year. The busiest travel days are expected to be Wednesday through Sunday.
Additional parking is required to cater for the influx cars. “We’re definitely going to be in an overflow situation,” Lynah said. The masses closest to the terminal will fill up first, so symptoms have been presented to direct other people to more masses. There will be shuttles to and from the overflowing car park to the airport.
Throughout the year, the airport has been able to book more passengers, with some of its 11 airlines offering more seats on larger planes. So far this year, available seats have increased by as much as 9. 4%, while passenger numbers have increased by as much as 10%.
Other people will spend Thanksgiving at the beach.
At Hunting Island State Park, about 20 miles east of Beaufort, 94. 7 of the 102 campsites were sold with strength and water and 25 tent sites between Wednesday and Saturday.
This former Atlantic Oceanfront campground is adapting to Thanksgiving culture for many families, said Samantha Queen, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
“If you’re going to camp anywhere in South Carolina in November, this is a good position to do it,” Queen said of Hunting Island, the state’s most popular state park.
The park does not remain open and staffed on Thanksgiving Day, but scheduled systems continue at the Nature Center until 2 p. m.
▪ 49. 1 million Americans will get the steering wheel, a 1. 7% increase compared to 2022.
▪ Another 4. 7 million people will fly during Thanksgiving, up 6. 6% from 2022 and the number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2005.
▪ 1. 55 million travelers will leave the city by cruise ship, bus or train, an increase of 11%
▪ National holiday destinations: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Anaheim, California and Tampa.
▪ International destinations: Cancun, Mexico, Mexico City, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Bahrain and Rome.
▪ 2:00 p. m. -6:00 p. m. on Wednesday, November 22; A. M. a 3 p. m. m. Thursday; noon-4 p. m. Friday; 15:00 – 17:00 Saturday and Sunday
Source: AAA
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