Higher vacation costs and soaring gasoline prices don’t appear to be affecting Colorado residents’ plans to hit the road over Labor Day weekend, according to AAA Colorado.
Local sales transactions for air and tour travel are up 27 percent over last year, the auto club said.
AAA is projecting that 35 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home over the three-day weekend, up 1.2 percent over last year. Eighty-four percent will go by car; 11 percent will travel by air.
But the trip will be more expensive. Overall vacation costs are up 5 percent, according to AAA. A gallon of unleaded gas in Colorado averaged $3.03 Thursday, an increase of 41 cents over last year.
“We do know that more people are driving, but folks are looking to cut costs,” said Alexa Gromko, spokeswoman for AAA Colorado. “Gas prices are having an impact on people’s length of trip. They’ll probably stay closer to home. Many will stay with family and friends instead of in hotels.”
In a move to help keep lodges, restaurants and shops busy through Labor Day weekend, which runs Sept. 2-4, a coalition of Vail entrepreneurs recently launched a late-summer promotion targeting Front Range drivers called “Vail at $81.50.” Forty local businesses, including the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort & Spa and Timberline Tours, are offering discounts of varying amounts through Sept. 4.
“Typically, this is a pretty slow period for us, so we wanted to give people a reason to come up here,” said Joel Health, president of Untraditional Marketing in Edwards, who created the program. “We’re already seeing some good results in terms of hotel bookings.”
Residents’ top in-state Labor Day destinations include Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, Denver and Aspen, according to AAA Colorado. The most popular out-of- state destinations are Atlanta; New York; Phoenix; Billings, Mont.; and Fairbanks, Alaska.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-820-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
