MIAMI — Falling gas prices might not be enough to entice people to travel this Labor Day weekend, with some keeping a wary eye on dangerous Hurricane Gustav, which is threatening the Gulf Coast.
About 34.4 million people are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home — a 1.1 percent decline from Labor Day 2007. Travel over Memorial weekend and Independence Day 2008 was also down compared with last year, according to auto club AAA.
“A lot of people may choose that they don’t want to take a risk. They know how quickly weather can change, and that may discourage a lot of travelers from traveling any distance this weekend,” AAA spokesman Gregg Laskoski said Saturday.
Travel in the Southeast could be particularly low. AAA officials predict a decline of 0.6 percent from last year.
On Florida’s east coast, officials at popular tourist spots like Daytona Beach warned of dangerous rip currents, even though Gustav posed no immediate threat. On the state’s west coast, beaches were packed. A strip along Panama City Beach was lined with traffic.
“All the evacuees are coming here,” said Georgia Taylor, who was working the front desk Saturday at the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort in Panama City Beach.
Taylor said dozens of evacuees had checked in as of Saturday afternoon.
Gasoline in most of the U.S. remains about $1 a gallon higher than at this time last year, even though retail prices have steadily dropped since crude oil peaked in mid-July, according to AAA.
Regular gas was averaging about $3.68 a gallon nationwide.
