Triple-A: More Arizonans planning to stay home over Fourth of July weekend

PHOENIX — Despite projected record-breaking travel numbers across the country, many Arizonans may be staying close to home this Fourth of July Weekend, Triple-A said.

Although gas prices are lower than they’ve been in more than a decade and the average airfare down by 9 percent, Arizonans are actually traveling less over this Fourth of July weekend.

According to Michelle Donati with Triple-A, 1.4 million Arizona residents will be traveling 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend. This is a 12 percent decrease in travel volume from the previous year.

Donati believes that many locals may be opting for stay-cations over long-distance vacations.

“During these summer months is when you get those awesome rates as a local,” Donati said.

Many local hotels and resorts in the Valley offer big discounts to locals during the summer and have begun offering different activities and amenities from additional spa treatments for parents to mermaid school for the kids.

“It’s really an entire vacation experience that you can have without driving out of town for it,” Donati said.

Although many Arizonans will be close to home for the holiday weekend, Triple-A expects more than 1 million Arizonans will be on the road and an additional 359,000 will take to the skies.

According to Triple-A more than 43 million Americans will be traveling over the Independence Day weekend.

If the projections are accurate, it will be the highest Fourth of July travel volume on record.

KTAR’s Tyler Klaus contributed to this report.

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