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More than 1 million Virginians to travel for Thanksgiving
November 24, 2010

Thanksgiving travel won't be as big a turkey as it was last year when the number of Virginians heading out of town plummeted by a third because of a deepening recession. But this year's numbers will still be far short of the gravy days of a few years back.

The American Automobile Association projects that 1.15 million Virginians will travel by car, plane or train over the Thanksgiving holiday, up 2.7 percent over last year. That means 14.6 percent of the state's residents will be traveling for Thanksgiving. AAA forecasts an uptick even though gas is about 60 cents per gallon more expensive than last year. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in Hampton Roads was $2.50 last week.

"Gas prices are higher, but the economy is a little better," said Georjeane L. Blumling, vice president of public relations for AAA Tidewater. "Last year, we took a hit all the way around.... People were a little shellshocked at the time." In 2008, 1.12 million Virginians traveled for Thanksgiving compared with 1.66 million in 2007.

Nationwide, AAA predicts the number of people who travel will grow to 38.4 million this year, up 1.4 percent from last year. This year's predicted increase will come from vacationers hitting the road, not the air. About 86 percent will travel by automobile, according to AAA. Six percent will go by air and the remainder will go by train, bus or boat. AAA estimates air travel will be down 6.2 percent in Virginia.

The Air Transport Association of America, the trade association for the leading airlines, expects a smaller drop. The association predicts a 4 percent decrease in the number of Thanksgiving travelers nationwide. The expected decline closely mirrors the trend at Norfolk International Airport, which has seen a 4.5 percent drop in traffic so far this year.

Source :-http://hamptonroads.com