Certain businesses across Wisconsin are preparing for an uptick in customers. AAA projects this will be the busiest year-end holiday travel season on record.
Nearly 100 million Americans are expected to journey more than 50 miles from home, between now and the start of the New Year. In Wisconsin, the projection is that nearly 2 million people will journey – a four percent increase over last year. Nick Jarmusz is Spokesman for the state branch of the AAA. He says it considered several factors.
“People have the financial security to spend the money to make a trip like this and that’s being driven primarily by the decreasing unemployment rate and the rise in disposable income, partially attributable to lower gas prices that we’re seeing,” Jarmusz says.
Deanne Kidd expects more people to walk through the door of her restaurant – the Thirsty Whale in Minocqua.
“I believe so, people have that little bit of expendable cash on them. The economy as a whole is looking good right now so, I think people are more comfortable traveling. The weather is a big factor, gas prices are a big factor so I think everything is looking really positive for the holiday season,” Kidd says.
Kidd says business took a dive during last year’s holiday season, when the weather was bitterly cold and gas prices, high. This year, she plans to schedule staff to cover additional hours during the holidays.
Some people from southeastern Wisconsin may travel north during the holidays, and some who stay home, may entertain traveling guests. It all helps the state economy, according to Lisa Marshall. She works for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
“It benefits the hotels where people stay overnight while they’re visiting family and friends, attractions in the area, when you have people visiting you might take them to see the different places in your community, restaurants, retail, you name it, having travelers in our communities definitely provides an economic boost,” Marshall says.
In addition to some people feeling they can afford to travel this holiday season, the calendar also helps. The Wisconsin AAA’s Nick Jarmusz says both Christmas and New Year’s fall on Thursdays – making for a couple of long weekends.
“Any time that the holiday falls on a Thursday for both Christmas and New Year’s, that adds a full weekend to the holiday travel picture, allowing more people to fit travel into their schedule, so that’s why we’re seeing these really record numbers this year,” Jarmusz says.
As for air travel, officials at Mitchell International Airport project an 11 percent increase in passengers over last year. Spokeswoman Pat Rowe says the heaviest traffic will be seen on Dec. 26.
