AAA: High Holiday Travel Volume Expected
By Andrew Atwal
andrew.atwal@yankton.net
In addition to the statewide numbers expected to be up, numbers across the country are projected to go up as well. The total travel for people in the United States is projected to be up nearly five percent. These projections represent a nearly 42 percent increase from where the numbers were just three years ago. The holiday travel period is defined July 3-8.
“AAA’s projection for a decade high number of Independence Day travelers is being fed by Americans’ appetite for travel, a mid-week holiday and lower gas prices,” Marilyn Buskohl, spokeswoman for AAA South Dakota, said in a statement.
Jacquie Fuks, Director of the Southeast South Dakota Regional Tourism Association, said that she expects travel numbers to go up because the holiday is in the middle of the week.
“One thing that will make the numbers better this year is because the 4th of July is in the middle of the week,” she said. “People will take the beginning of the week off, the end of the week off, and some may take that whole week.”
She noted that when the holiday is in the middle of the week, it expands the holiday travel from one weekend to two.
Shane Bertsch, District Park Supervisor for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GF&P), expects numbers to be very good for travel into the Lewis and Clark Recreation areas.
“The numbers are going to be really good for July 4,” he said. “It’s going to be mostly full, and I expect the rest of the available campsites to go in the next few days.”
He added that campsites in the park are expected to be at, or near capacity, beginning this weekend for the next week. The increased patrons to the area mean more staff will be on duty at boat ramps and beaches on the grounds.
“If the weather is good, we expect about 1,600 campers or so for the 4th of July, which is more than a normal busy summer weekend would be,” Bertsch said.
In addition to the 1,600 campers, he expects about 500 to 700 boats to be on the water on the 4th of July alone.
Fuks noted that the biggest impacts on holiday travel are the weather and gas prices. She added this year’s travel could skyrocket for the July 4 holiday because the gas prices have been lower and the weather has been good.
“The 4th of July is the holiday that makes you go somewhere,” Fuks said. “It’s the middle of the summer, kids want to go somewhere and the weather is usually stable.”
She added that another factor that could play in to the numbers going up is that there were a lot of visitors to the area last year to see the flooding — visitors that had never been here before. She said that there is the potential that they travel back here this year to enjoy the area and all that it has to offer.
In addition to the Yankton-area numbers being up, Fuks said that other tourism directors in Sioux Falls, Mitchell and Madison report their numbers of visitor requests being up as well — which could prove to bring the number of travelers into those areas up for the season.
Travel to the area should not be affected by the hot weather, according to Bertsch.
“As long as its not extremly hot, the heat should not affect the numbers,” he said. “The beaches will be packed all week, and people will want to take their boat out regardless of the heat.”
Bertsch notes that, due to the nice weather in the winter, they were able to make a lot of improvements to the grounds, including a lodge that just opened for use this year. Staff members at Lewis and Clark are currently working on an elevated shooting range for archery, which is expected to be open by the end of July.
“We take pride in our customer service and keeping the grounds neat, clean and well-groomed,” Bertsch said. “If we can maintain those things, along with the draw of the lake, it will keep guests coming back each year.”
Fuks noted that, this year, visitor requests have come from an unexpected state — Ohio.
Ohio has topped all other states in terms of visitor information packet requests, she said. This includes the normal traffic from Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, something that surprised her.
“Yankton is really a good, hometown feel type of place to go to,” Fuks said. “The fireworks and parks here are big draws for July 4.”
Despite all the fun that comes with the area on the 4th of July, Bertsch said guests should always have safety in mind.
“If you’re out on a boat, have the life jackets and safety gear prepared and ready to go,” he said. “Make sure all safety precautions are taken and use caution, because there will be a lot of other boaters out there, too.”
For the guests enjoying the beaches at Lewis and Clark, Bertsch wants to remind them that no pets are allowed and glass containers are prohibited.
You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal
By Andrew Atwal 