Study says 56% of Americans still plan to travel on Thanksgiving

75% of those who expect to travel plan to drive to their destination

Whether or not travel is on the menu for your family this Thanksgiving, a surprising number of Americans still plan to hit the road for Turkey Day this year, a new study claims.

On Monday, Tripadvisor released the findings from its 2020 Thanksgiving Travel Index, claiming that over half of Americans polled – 56% – intend to leave home for the holiday amid the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. Of those, 75% said they plan to drive to their destination, while a slim 11% said they’re flying to their Thanksgiving celebrations.

“This year, we can expect shorter trips with smaller groups of people for more intimate, close-knit gatherings. Many are taking day trips (24%) or spending one night at their destination,” Christopher Hsi, consumer market research lead analyst for Tripadvisor, said in a statement. “Americans are also continuing to avoid big cities, instead opting for warm weather and beach destinations in Southern states.”

TripAdvisor’s booking data also showed that Florida, Arizona and South Carolina are dominating as popular destinations for the holiday. Citing year-over-year hotel interest, the report named the following cities as the fastest-recovering Thanksgiving travel destinations: Key Largo, Fla., Sedona, Ariz., Key West, Fla., Scottsdale, Ariz., Naples, Fla., Clearwater, Fla., Palm Springs, Calif., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Charleston, S.C., and St. Pete Beach, Fla.

On the other hand, the slowest-recovering destinations (according to year-over-year hotel interest) were listed as follows: New York City, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Nashville, Tenn., Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fla., Las Vegas, and San Antonio.

Source: Fox News