More Americans Plan U.S. Summer Trips

WASHINGTON — Buoyed by a strong economy and stock market, Americans will be vacationing within the United States in record numbers this summer, travel industry groups said Tuesday.

U.S. vacationers plan to take 271 million trips of 100 miles or more this summer, a 4% increase from last year, the Travel Industry Assn. of America said in its annual forecast. The group along with AAA polled 1,000 Americans in April.

At the same time, major vacation costs are expected to increase only slightly over 1998, the groups said. Meal and lodging costs this summer will be just over 1% higher than in 1998, raising the average daily cost for a family of four to $213.

The Memorial Day weekend will launch the summer travel season, with AAA estimating that 33.3 million Americans will take a trip over the period.

Indeed, most traveling Americans--about 85% of those surveyed--said they plan to use an automobile to get places, despite rising gasoline prices nationwide. In Southern California, gas prices have continued their downward march, falling to $1.56 a gallon for self-serve regular unleaded gasoline from $1.61 a gallon April 20, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Travel by air within the U.S. and outside also is expected to remain robust, with capacity running about 70% per flight. Officials at Los Angeles International Airport said Tuesday that passenger loads at the nation’s third-busiest airport had climbed 6.2% during the first three months of the year. Fueling the rise was a 6.6% jump in domestic travelers.

Florida, California and Hawaii again topped the list of places U.S. travelers would most like to visit, followed by Colorado, Texas and New York, the TIA said.