Number of travelers expected to spike over Labor Day

The economy may still be uncertain, but more people than last year plan to get out of town for Labor Day weekend, according to a study released today.

In Illinois, 1.92 million people will be traveling for the holiday weekend, which is up 11.3 percent over 2009, according to AAA based in Aurora.

"While media reports on the state of the U.S. economy are mixed, many Americans are still interested in taking one more trip as the summer travel season comes to a close," said Beth Mosher, director of AAA Public Affairs.

The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, Sept. 2, to Monday, Sept. 6.

Of those travelers, about 1.8 million will be driving and just less than 49,000 will be flying to their destination. The fact that gasoline prices are stable may contribute to the travel plans. Gas prices across Illinois are on average $2.79, up 11 cents from last year.

The increase in travel appears to be the result of economic improvement over last year, AAA reports.

While job growth has been disappointing, gross domestic product, household net worth and consumer confidence have increased, while consumer debt has decreased.

The U.S. travel industry started to gain traction in the fourth quarter of 2009 and that momentum has continued this year.

Median spending is expected to be $697 this Labor Day, nearly $50 more than last year. And about 58 percent of Americans say they will travel to spend time with friends and relatives over the holiday.

Based on a survey of travelers intentions, the average distance traveled by Americans this Labor Day holiday weekend is expected to be 635 miles, slightly less than a year ago (645 miles).

AAA travel agents are continuing to report strong increases in the number of travelers making advanced reservations. "Hotel, car and vacation package reservations for the upcoming Labor Day weekend are up over 10 percent compared to last year," Mosher said.