Washington Area Memorial Day Travel Expected to Rise Despite Recession

More Washingtonians are likely to leave home this Memorial Day weekend than last, a hopeful sign that close-to-home holiday travel here may be somewhat recession-proof, transportation and tourism officials said yesterday.

"You can sum up the numbers in four words: There is a rebound," said John Townsend, a spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

After thousands of vacationers stayed put last Memorial Day -- when gas prices topped $3.80 a gallon -- AAA predicts that 730,000 area residents will travel 50 miles or more from home this three-day weekend, about 4 percent more than last year. Just 6.7 percent of them will board a plane because of the expense, officials said, leaving 83 percent to travel by car. The auto club predicts that rail and bus travel will drop 10 percent.

The price of gas has risen 25 cents a gallon in the past three weeks, but at $2.29 a gallon it is still about $1.50 less than this time last year. Another factor making local travel more likely is the region's huge workforce of federal workers and contractors, which has been less buffeted by the downturn than those in other parts of the country.

"What you see is a certain resiliency on the part of the local economy," Townsend said at a news conference in Stevensville, Md., with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as backdrop.

Nevertheless, occupancy rates at Maryland hotels are down 3 percent from last year, according to the Maryland Office of Tourism. More tourists are waiting until the last minute to book, hotel officials throughout the region say, partly because they are unwilling to forgo hundreds of dollars if the weather doesn't hold up.

The weekend forecast, it turns out, is for sunshine and temperatures in the 80s.

In Williamsburg, tourism officials are expecting a flood of same-day bookings once visitors arrive in town, a rarity in that market.

"It's difficult for us to predict what's going to happen," said Bob Harris, vice president of tourism for the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance. "We're counting on being a great last-minute decision market for Washington."

Rather than heavily discount room prices, hotels are offering sweeteners: coupons for free meals, discounted spa treatments and free-night promotions.

And they are highlighting free attractions, including an air show in Ocean City and the beach.

"We have to remind people that we have a beautiful, free beach," said Melanie Pursel, executive director of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce. Ocean City hotel rooms for the holiday weekend are renting for $100 to $400 a night.

Passenger traffic at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport was down 7.5 percent in March from the same month last year, and Memorial Day traffic is likely to be flat from last year, airport spokesman Jonathan Dean said. But many airlines are offering bargain fares this summer, and BWI is enjoying a mini-boom in airlines: JetBlue, Cape Air, Southwest, AirTran and Pet have announced plans to expand or begin service in coming months.

"There are certainly positive developments," Dean said. Dulles International and Reagan National airports do not make travel predictions for the holiday weekend.

Roadwork and lane closures in the area will be suspended over the long weekend to ease traffic.