DENVER (KDVR) — Almost 71 million Americans are projected by travel agency AAA to travel over 50 miles for the July 4 holiday, and Denver is among one of the top destinations for domestic travelers this year.
AAA’s forecast specifically projects 70.9 million U.S. citizens to take trips over 50 miles from home, outpacing the 2023 projection by 5% and pre-COVID 2019 numbers by 8%. AAA is looking at Saturday, June 29 through Sunday, July 7, marking the first year that the Independence Day holiday travel period includes two weekends.
“2024 is the year of travel, surpassing 2019’s numbers and some records that are nearly two decades old,” said Skyler McKinley, regional director of public affairs for AAA in a release. “The good news is that robust travel figures speak to the strength of the American economy. The bad news is that, with 3.5 million more travelers than last year, there will be more people on roadways, lined up at airport security, and visiting state parks, lakes, major American cities, and more.”
Denver is the ninth most popular domestic destination for the holiday this year, according to AAA booking data, with the top 8 destinations located on the contiguous U.S. coasts, plus Alaska and Hawaii.
Denver’s traffic is also expected to be worse during the holiday period, according to AAA, which projected the drive on Interstate 25 from Fort Collins to Denver would be the most congested on Monday, July 8 at about 7:30 a.m. The agency expects the drive to take 56% longer than average.
Those numbers also reflect the AAA projection of a record 60.6 million people who are expected to travel by car during the week, which is an additional 2.8 million than the year before. AAA’s rental car partner, Hertz, projects the highest rental demands in Denver, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“Drivers in large metro areas can expect the worst traffic delays on Wednesday, July 3rd, as they leave town, and Sunday, July 7th, as they return,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, in a AAA release. “Road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67% longer than normal. Travelers should monitor 511 services, local news stations, and traffic apps for up-to-the-minute road conditions.”
The busiest rental car pick-up days are forecasted to be:
Gas prices could also go up during the week due to hurricane season, should a storm arise, but as of June 26, Colorado’s average price of gas per gallon was $3.35, roughly 15 cents below the current national average and 40 cents less than Colorado’s average gas prices during July 4, 2023.
Domestic air travel is also expected to break records during the 2024 Independence Day holiday. AA is projecting 5.74 million flyers nationally — up 7% from last year and up 12% from 2019.
AAA booking data also shows that domestic airfare prices are 2% cheaper compared to last year. The agency anticipates travelers will head to DIA as a way to access other areas of Colorado and the American West.
Meanwhile, DIA is forecasting more than 878,000 passengers will pass through TSA checkpoints from June 28 through July 9, for about 321,000 passengers each day. That’s a 4.7% increase over the same period last year.
