AAA: Record-setting travel numbers expected in Colorado this holiday

Posted: Dec 16, 2021 / 09:27 PM MST

Updated: Dec 16, 2021 / 10:33 PM MST

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DENVER (KDVR) — New travel numbers from AAA of Colorado show more than 109 million Americans will travel this holiday season, a 34% increase from December 2020.

An estimated 6 million people will board planes and nearly 2 million in Colorado will travel, setting a record.

With more than 30 million additional road and air travelers, travel experts are calling this a dramatic bounceback for the industry.

“Folks have vaccines. They feel comfortable and confident in traveling,” AAA of Colorado spokesperson Skyler McKinley said.

FOX31 spoke with travelers at Denver International Airport who said they found travel easier and even more comfortable, despite the increased crowds, because more restaurants and other amenities are available.

“What’s most surprising is how much things have returned to normal, despite us all living in abnormal times,” McKinley said.

McKinley pointed out that Colorado has remained a top destination during the pandemic, because “folks were unable to travel internationally — they wanted to go to wide-open spaces.”

Now that more deem travel as safer, other destinations are joining the top 10 list.

“We’re still going to have booming travel numbers heading up to the high country, but we’ve now reverted back to traditional travel patterns, so the number one destination is Orlando, Florida,” McKinley said.