[Above photo from Pixabay ]
Cheaper prices at the pump could fuel record-high travel in South Carolina during Memorial Day weekend.
AAA Carolinas said it anticipates 485,400 state residents will take to the roadways between Friday and Monday, a 2 percent increase compared with 475,500 in 2015.
More than 33,600 South Carolinians will travel by air, a slight increase from 33,100 during the previous year.
“Carolinians are eagerly awaiting the start of summer and are ready to travel thanks to the lowest Memorial Day gas prices in a decade,” said Dave Parsons, president and CEO of AAA Carolinas, in a statement. “We urge drivers to stay safe on the roadways this weekend and to always remember to disconnect and drive.”
According to AAA Carolinas, the average price per gallon of regular fuel in South Carolina on Thursday was $2.08, which is 34 cents cheaper than last year’s average of $2.42 and 23 cents below the current national average of $2.31.
The Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson metropolitan area’s average price per gallon of regular gas was $2.10, which was the highest of all the four main metro areas in the state.
The agency said the top driving destinations are to Charleston; Myrtle Beach; Denver; Orlando, Fla.; and Savannah, Ga.
Nearly 30,900 vacationers in South Carolina will travel by other means, including cruise ships, trains and buses, which is a slight decrease compared with 31,600 during Memorial Day weekend 2015.
The top leisure travel destinations include Alaska, the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Italy, AAA Carolinas said.
According to the AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, average fares to the top 40 domestic flight routes are expected to be 26 percent cheaper than the previous year, with a round-trip ticket costing $165.
Hotel prices should be about the same, with an average of $183 per night at AAA Three Diamond hotels and $151 at Two Diamond hotels.
Car rental rates are expected to decrease three percent this year to $62 per day, the agency said.
For more information, visit: www.carolinas.aaa.com.
