San Diego No. 1 Destination for Fourth of July

San Diego tops the list of Fourth of July holiday destinations for Southern Californians this year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s travel forecast.

The city came in No. 1 in a survey of AAA travel agents, followed by Las Vegas, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Yosemite.

It is expected to be the biggest July 4th travel weekend on record since 2002, according to the Southern California division of AAA.

More than 3 million Southern Californians are planning to go out of town over the Independence Day weekend, according to the travel forecast, topping the total who traveled in 2015 by 1.3 percent.

Most travelers will be hitting the road, while 20 percent plan to fly, according to the Auto Club.

“Lower gas prices have put some more disposable income in travelers’ budgets and have also lowered average airfares, encouraging more trips this holiday season and throughout the summer,” said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services. “We’re also seeing more travelers willing to spend a little extra on credit with a growth in consumer confidence.”

The Auto Club’s forecast was conducted by IHS Global Insight with historical travel data provided by DK Shifflet, which measures consumer travel.

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