AAA Predicts Record Travel Numbers for the 4th, Oregon Coast Already Filled Up

Published 6/30/24 at 5:55 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Oregon Coast) – Some 860,000 people from Oregon are expected to travel for Independence Day, a part of what AAA projects will be a record 71 million Americans on the road or in the air. AAA said it's expecting a record “travel boom” for the Fourth of July, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers and besting what was already a record last year.

AAA spokesman Marie Dodds said the number would be the highest on record, with numbers even higher than in 2019 just before the pandemic slammed the travel industry.

“In Oregon, Central Oregon and the Oregon Coast are popular destinations,” Dodds said. “Central Oregon has two cities and the coast has three cities in the top 10 list of regional destinations.”

AAA is listing Bend and Redmond as among the top ten in the region, but Lincoln City, Newport and Seaside are the big ones for the Oregon coast.

Beaches are among the top destinations around the country, and that does not surprise those in the Tillamook Coast area that includes Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Oceanside and Pacific City.

Nan Devlin, executive director of Tillamook Coast Visitors Association, said that region is all packed up for motels and camping spaces.

Farther south, Janice Langlinais, executive director of the Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau, said it's quickly becoming a similar situation.

“We are not completely sold out yet but trends are better than last July 4th, so we are pleased,” she said.

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Dodds said gas prices are lower this compared to last year at the same time. They're also quite a bit lower than in 2022 when gas prices hit record highs during the holiday. As of June 24, the national average is at $3.45 per gallon for regular and the Oregon average is $4.08 (as of June 24, 2024).

Hitting the roads is by far the biggest way to travel.

Coos Bay, Jaimie Baird / Oregon King Tides

“85% of travelers will take a good old American road trip,” Dodds said. “AAA expects nearly 61 million people including 676,000 Oregonians will drive to their destinations.”

AAA projects 5.7 million Americans including 122,000 Oregonians will fly to their destinations, a figure that's up by 7 percent from last year. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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