CDC wants people to stay home for the holidays. Here’s what’s expected in Whatcom County
Fewer people are planning to travel this holiday season during the COVID-19 pandemic, but travel experts are still expecting significant activity in Whatcom County and Washington.
AAA Washington is predicting that 626,00 fewer Washington state residents will be traveling for Christmas or the New Year holidays, a 22% drop compared to the previous year. However, more than 2 million residents are still expected to be on the road, according to the report, despite the recommendation from the CDC to not travel to avoid getting or spreading COVID-19.
A slight increase in passenger traffic compared to other times during this pandemic is expected at the Bellingham International Airport during the holidays, said airport Operations Manager Emily Phillipe. The commercial airlines have increased the number of flights before and following the holiday season to meet the increase in holiday travel demand.
The airport also saw a slight increase in passengers during the Thanksgiving break, Phillipe said. With additional flights, travel out of the Bellingham airport that weekend was up 16% compared to October, but still well below typical Thanksgiving weekend numbers.
Whatcom County has recently seen a fair amount of visitors despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions as people look for socially distant outdoor activities like skiing and enjoying the snow, said Sandy Ward, president and CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. Whatcom County has plenty of outdoor activities even in winter, but so do many communities across the state and they’ll also be attracting regional visitors, she said.
AAA Washington expects that if people do decide to travel during the holidays, it’ll more likely be by car than air or public transportation. Road trips are expected to account for 96% of holiday travel across the U.S., according to the AAA report.
For those who make the decision to travel, AAA has a few online tools to help make it safer. The AAA COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Map tracks the latest state and local travel restrictions while TripTik.AAA.com shows which rest stops, gas stations, restaurants and hotels are open.
For those who decide to hit the road for the year-end holidays, gas prices across the country hover around 50 cents lower than this time last year. In mid-December, a gallon of gas in Washington costs an average of $2.75, down 47 cents from 2019.
