With gas prices running about $1.50 a gallon less than last year, AAA Mid-Atlantic is projecting a 3.9 percent increase in travel by Marylanders this Memorial Day weekend - welcome news for regional tourist destinations.
In a news conference Wednesday on Kent Island, AAA government affairs director Mahlon G. "Lon" Anderson said the organization's survey predicts a robust travel weekend this year - a stark contrast with last year.
"Trips by auto are going to be the biggest beneficiaries of Americans' returning wanderlust," Anderson predicted under skies just as sunny as his forecast.
AAA is predicting that 609,000 Marylanders will travel 50 or more miles round trip this weekend. About 508,000 of them, or 83 percent, will travel by car - a 5.8 percent jump. The organization's projections for Maryland are more optimistic than its nationwide forecast, which predicts a 1.5 percent increase in total travel and a 2.7 percent increase in travel in personal vehicles.
The survey also found that air travel by Marylanders is likely to increase 7 percent this holiday weekend compared with last year, when high fuel prices sent fares and surcharges soaring.
Anderson said the weak economy has translated into bargain prices for hotels, rental cars and cruises as well as airline tickets.
The AAA official said the expected rebound in travel is the result of a drastic year-to-year drop in gas prices. Despite a recent mini-spike, the average price of a gallon of regular gas in Maryland stands at $2.30 this year compared with $3.80 last year. Anderson said AAA is predicting that gas prices will not exceed $2.50 this summer.
Among the expected beneficiaries of the renewed travel bug is Ocean City. Mayor Richard Meehan said Tuesday that the beach resort has posted record visitor numbers each weekend in April and early May.
"We're looking for a very big Memorial Day weekend," he said. "The weather is on our side." The Weather Channel is predicting sunny to partly cloudy skies and highs in the 70s through Monday - with no rain in the forecast.
Meehan said that during the resort's recent Cruising Weekend, the city had 230,000 visitors compared with 200,000 last year.
"People are ready to go out. They're ready to enjoy themselves," he said.
Meehan said Ocean City has been beefing up its lineup of free events to appeal to budget-minded travelers. Among the new events coming to the resort, he said, are BeachFest in mid-June, which will highlight surfing and "extreme" games, and a professional beach volleyball tournament - both taking place the weekend of June 19-21.
The mayor said the city's beaches are in excellent condition after a winter with no serious storms and no need to replenish the sand.
