A record 3.5 million Southern California residents are expected to travel over the Memorial Day weekend, handily beating the numbers from last year and marking the second straight year the travel number has exceeded the previous record set before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Automobile Club of Southern California estimated Monday.
The 3.5 million travelers would mark a 4.7% increase over last year’s record number, and 4.2% above the 2019 figure.
The top destinations for Southern California travelers are expected to be San Diego, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, and Seattle and Alaska cruises.
The top destinations for nationwide travelers will be Orlando, New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Anaheim and Los Angeles. Top international destinations for U.S. travelers will be Rome, Vancouver, London, Paris, and Dublin.
“Usually, the travel trends over Memorial Day are an indication of what we can expect for summer travel, and this year is shaping up to be at record levels particularly for cruises and international tours,” Jena Miller, the Auto Club’s vice president of travel products, said in a statement.
Of the 3.5 million anticipated travelers, 2.9 million are likely to travel by car, while 371,000 will fly and 237,000 will rely on other modes, such as bus, train or cruise ship.
Nationally, 43.8 million people are expected to travel for the holiday, a 4.1% increase from last year and 2.4% above 2019.
The Auto Club defines the Memorial Day travel period as Thursday through Monday, May 23-27.
City News Service contributed to this report.