Fewer travelers to hit the road for holiday

By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer

Kathy Balcom plans to sneak out of the Tri-Cities on this afternoon to try to beat the rush of holiday drivers on her way to Whitefish, Mont., a 61/2-hour drive.

Traveling on the Fourth of July weekend is a sort of tradition.

It's a nice break before Balcom gets busy helping organize the annual hydroplane races on the Columbia River.

And the Pasco woman is happy gas prices haven't hit the roof this year, unlike last year when a gallon of regular gas cost about $4 or more. On Wednesday, a gallon of unleaded gas was about $2.90 on average in the Tri-Cities, according to AAA's fuel gauge report.

Rod Smith, treasurer and vice president of wholesale fuels at R.H. Smith Distributing Co. in Grandview, said he expects consumers to use 10 percent to 15 percent more gas this weekend, which traditionally has high sales.

Not many customers are complaining about prices, said Smith, who also owns Smitty's Paradise, a West Richland convenience store with a gas station and car wash. "It seems we've an amazing resilience to the recession," he said.

That may not be the case nationwide and in other parts of the state, according to AAA. The number of Washington residents traveling this holiday weekend is forecast to decline 1.9 percent to 784,000 people, compared with last year.

And fewer Washingtonians will travel by car, said Spokane-based AAA spokeswoman Cassie Devaney.

The 1.9 percent decline mirrors a national trend, she said. Nationally, about 37.1 million people plan to travel 50 miles or more on the Fourth of July weekend, she said. Devaney said economic uncertainty is driving people to save money instead of spending it on travel.

Kris Watkins, president and CEO of the Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, said she thinks people are traveling shorter distances and mixing business with pleasure instead of taking extended trips.

"The Tri-Cities has turned into a weekend getaway for people in the Northwest," she said.

More than 6,000 visitors are expected in the Tri-Cities to participate in sports tournaments and a religious convention this weekend. That'll give a boost to the area's hotels, restaurants and wineries, she said.

Nationally, AAA estimates a 2.6 percent decline in car trips from 33.4 million in 2008 to 32.6 million in 2009. Recent increases in gas prices may have dampened consumer enthusiasm for road trips, Devaney said.

But air travel, which will account for about 5 percent of the holiday weekend leisure travel, is expected to increase about 4.9 percent, she said. "It's pretty significant," she said. The availability of bargain fares and pent-up demand from people who have not been on a vacation lately is expected to help bring the number of air travelers to about 2 million.

Julie Harrington, chief operating officer of Travel Leaders, a travel agency with multiple offices in the Mid-Columbia, said she's seen an increase in the number of plane bookings for this weekend and the summer. A lot of Tri-Citians are going to San Francisco because there's a direct flight available. And if you book enough in advance, a roundtrip ticket there can cost about $200, she said.

Southern California and Arizona are among other favored flight destinations for Washington residents, said a AAA survey.

Many road warriors will be traveling to the Oregon Coast and British Columbia.

To help avoid delays, try using the Washington Department of Transportation website www.wsdot.wa.gov and the 24-hour traveler information line, 511.

The website lists the times drivers may likely see delays on Highway 2, Interstate 90 and Interstate 5 at the Canadian border and south of Olympia through Lewis County.

Even weekend travelers to Canada will need either a U.S. passport, a state-issued enhanced driver's license, a U.S. passport card or a trusted traveler card to cross the border.

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Thursday, Jul. 02, 2009

Fewer travelers to hit the road for holiday

By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer