PANAMA CITY BEACH — AAA predicts that a record breaking 4.5 million plus Floridians will travel this year during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
According to a press release issued Monday morning, AAA estimates that more than 4.5 million Floridians will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday period, defined as Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2.
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This is an expanded time window; in the past, AAA considered the Thanksgiving holiday travel period to be Wednesday through Sunday.
To achieve an “apples to apples” comparison, AAA looked back and found that 4.4 million Floridians traveled for Thanksgiving 2023. Thus, if the 2024 prediction comes to pass, a new record will be set.
Using that same expanded time window, AAA looks back and reports that Florida had 4.3 million Thanksgiving travelers in 2019.
Most of that 2024 Florida Thanksgiving travel will be on the road. “AAA projects more than 4.1 million Floridians will take a road trip over Thanksgiving — that’s 101,000 more travelers than the previous record set last year,” the release says.
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Floridians won’t be the only ones hitting the road or boarding flights.
”National travel numbers are also expected to set new records, with an estimated 79.9 million travelers,” the news release says. “The 2% growth equates to 1.7 million more people than the previous record set last year, and 2 million more than in 2019.”
Some of those travelers might be coming to Bay County. Events such as Beach Home for the Holidays on Panama City Beach aim to entertain visitors and residents alike. The event is Nov. 29-30 this year.
On its website, Visit Panama City Beach wishes visitors a “Happy Thanks Beaching,” and provides links to special offers and a list of restaurants that will be open on the holiday.
Of course, with record travel comes potential pitfalls.
“We expect to see record travel numbers across the board,” Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA –The Auto Club Group, said in the release. “With more people taking to the roads, skies, rails, and sea, travelers should expect congested roads and longer lines at transportation terminals. AAA encourages travelers to develop their plan now and consider travel insurance, which provides compensation for flight cancellations, delays, and lost luggage.”
Why is record breaking travel happening? Largely because of the economy, according to AAA.
“These record-setting traveler numbers are being driven by economic growth, declining inflation, and strong income gains, which is expected to boost consumer spending by 4.6% compared to this time last year,” the release says.
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