The Fourth of July weekend coming up will feel like a blast from the past. Triple-A Alabama is predicting a travel weekend similar to those before the pandemic.
Alabama will see many travelers coming through the state to other destinations. The state’s beaches are also expected to see more visitors than usual.
Clay Ingram is the spokesman for Triple-A Alabama. He said people have had a pent-up demand to travel.
“It’s going to be really really busy, no question about it. Our travel numbers are expected to be very similar to what we saw for the fourth of July in 2019,” he said.
Ingram said the numbers this weekend are projecting higher than the Fourth of July weekend 2018. All indicators point to a pre-COVID holiday celebration.
Gas prices might cause some travel strain this weekend as well.
“We’re hearing people talk about having the highest gas prices during the fourth of July weekend in seven years, and that’s true. But it's only by a few cents per gallon. It’s not by a very big margin at all. They are just slightly higher than what we saw in 2019 and 2018,” Ingram said.
There is potential for a spike in gas prices to last throughout the month of July due to high demand.
Many of the destinations people are traveling to are outdoor destinations like outdoor theme parks, and various state and national parks.