With Southern California residents hitting the road or boarding airplanes en masse for the holidays, their top destinations are expected to be San Diego and Las Vegas, officials said.
In addition, the Auto Club of Southern California is predicting that travelers will choose Anaheim, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite.
The vast majority of the anticipated travelers, about 7.8 million, will take their trips by car, despite gasoline prices that continue to average more than $4 per gallon.
The Auto Club, meanwhile, is predicting that all told, nearly 8.8 million Southern California residents will take holiday trips between Thursday and Jan. 2, making it the third-busiest year-end holiday season on record locally.
The number is down from the 9.3 million people who traveled for the holidays in 2019, and just under the number from 2018.
“Last year at this time, many people canceled or postponed holiday trip plans as a new wave of the pandemic hit without widespread vaccination availability,” Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for Travel Products & Services, said in a statement. “This year after most people have gotten vaccinated, travelers are mindful of the continued need for caution and the new Omicron variant, but have greater confidence in taking long-awaited family vacations.”
Given the continuing pandemic, Auto Club officials urged travelers to be aware of COVID restrictions that may be in place at their destinations, pack protective gear and hand sanitizer, and minimize travel stops by packing snacks, food and drinks.
Airport officials reminded people who may be traveling internationally that new federal rules require all inbound travelers to receive a negative COVID-19 test within one day of their flight.
Federal rules also require face masks in all airport terminals.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority told FOX5 San Diego that around one million passengers are expected to fly to and from Lindbergh Field through January 3.
There’s also a new way to reach San Diego International Airport. The free electric shuttle, the San Diego Flyer, is zero emission, and connects Old Town Transit Center buses, trains, and trolleys to the airport’s terminals.
– City News Service
