A good many of the 36.1 million Americans taking to the road and air for the Memorial Day weekend will be heading to the lake and other vacation spots to take advantage of the three-day holiday that traditionally marks the beginning of the summer-travel season.
The figure is a post-recession high and is 1.5 percent higher than the 35.5 million people who traveled last year, according to the 2014 Memorial Day Forecast from AAA, the long-standing travel and leisure organization. It also is the second-highest volume since 2000, behind 2005's 44 million travelers, AAA records show.
An unusually long and cold winter and a continued improvement in the economy may have combined to boost the numbers, according to an organization executive.
"As we enter into the summer-travel season with warmer temperatures and tulips in bloom, thoughts of historic cold are still fresh in the minds of Americans in many parts of the country," said Marshall L. Doney, chief operating officer for AAA. "As the economy continues to improve at a slow and steady pace, consumer spending, disposable income, consumer confidence and the employment outlook are trending up, which is welcomed news for the travel industry."
Crowley's Ridge State Park, which is about 16 miles north of Jonesboro in Greene County, is typical of the camping and other outdoor destinations in Arkansas this weekend.
"We are completely booked up," said Nina McDuffee, the office manager for the 300-acre park.
The park boasts two lakes -- one for fishing and one for swimming -- as well as four cabins and 18 camping sites that have electricity and water available.
Not everyone heads to the lake. Others who travel will be going to family reunions and even weddings.
Indeed, a family reunion and a wedding, among other things, are filling up rooms this weekend at the 70-room Hampton Inn and Suites, which opened 14 months ago, in Hope, said Gina Hudkins, the hotel's front-office manager.
Others staying at the hotel will be headed to Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only place in the nation where anyone can dig for diamonds, she said. It is less than an hour from Hope.
"It's diverse on why people are here," Hudkins said.
No matter the reason, it is an important weekend for the state's tourism industry, which is the state's second-largest behind agriculture, contributed $5.9 billion in tax revenue to the state last year and employs 100,000 Arkansans, said David Lang, general manager of the Embassy Suites of Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and board president of the Arkansas Lodging Association.
"You can see how important travel is to the state," he said.
And the three-day Memorial Day weekend is the spark plug.
"It's a huge weekend for our industry," Lang said. "The weather is going to be good. We expect a lot of tourism."
On the road, travelers will find a mixed bag.
On the one hand, gasoline prices for Memorial Day will be less expensive than they have been in the last three years, according to AAA.
Gasoline prices, which have remained steady in the past week, have been falling as the holiday weekend approaches, said Phil Flynn, an energy analyst with Price Futures Group in Chicago.
"They are starting to come down," he said. "Just like clockwork, as soon as the Memorial Day clock strikes midnight, I think gasoline prices are coming down."
In Arkansas, the average price of gasoline was $3.39 a gallon on Thursday, according to AAA's daily "fuel gauge" report. That's steady with the price of gas a week ago but down from $3.48 a gallon a month ago.
The national average price of gasoline was $3.65 a gallon on Thursday, compared with $3.64 a week ago.
On the other hand, travel will be slow-going in some places on Arkansas interstates because of construction projects, according to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
The department has 10 sections of interstate or other U.S. highway totaling 63 miles that will be limited to one lane in each direction through the weekend.
Agency officials said they worked to limit the number of lane closures.
"Still, travelers will likely face work zones and possible delays due to increased traffic volume," according to a department news release.
Perhaps the most vexing ongoing lane closure for motorists goes on for eight miles in both directions on Interstate 40 at Forrest City in Crittenden County. It has been a choke point on the busy section of I-40 between North Little Rock and Memphis.
Throughout Thursday afternoon, traffic was extremely slow through some parts of the construction zone, particularly for eastbound traffic, according to online, live traffic maps.
And state and local law enforcement agencies have said they will be out in force throughout the weekend enforcing Arkansas' primary seat-belt and child-passenger safety laws as part of a nationwide "Click It or Ticket" campaign.
"Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff of summer-vacation season," said Col. Stan Witt, the director of the Arkansas State Police. "While patrolling the highways enforcing state traffic laws, state troopers will be watching carefully for anyone violating safety-belt laws."
The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, which sponsors the campaign, said this year's focus would be males ages 18-34, a demographic the agency said is less likely to use seat belts than other demographics. The agency also is targeting enforcement "day or night."
The campaign began Monday and ends June 1.
Information for this article was contributed by Jessica Seaman of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A section on 05/23/2014