SC ranks as a most dangerous state for holiday travel. COVID is only partly to blame.
Millions of Americans are ignoring advice and pleas from health officials not to travel for the holidays.
Holiday travel is already notoriously dangerous. Drunk driving spikes across the country as do car accidents related to cold weather and icy roads. This year, the nation, and South Carolina especially, has the added factor of the coronavirus pandemic to raise the risk of traveling.
The Palmetto State came in as the 17th most dangerous state to travel to in a recent study by financial and insurance data giant LendingTree. High rates of car accidents and speeding combined with a large number of at-risk seniors and hospitals unprepared for COVID-19 surges to make the state risky for travelers and locals alike.
South Carolina fared better in areas like drunk driving, where it ranked as one of the safest, and COVID-19 cases and deaths. However, the state’s COVID-19 case counts have topped 3,000 per day in recent weeks, raising the specter for impending surges in ICU and hospital capacity.
More than a million Americans went through airports last weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Those traveling broke the pandemic record for the most air travelers in three consecutive days - 3.2 million people.
Many of these travelers are headed to South Carolina’s beaches.
The most recent lodging data available, collected by Coastal Carolina University, showed vacation rental reservations at 41% for the week of Christmas, six points above last year. Vacation rentals include properties on sites like AirBnB and VRBO along with other private rentals.
The next two weeks show reservations at nearly 50% of those available. However, that number could drop. This week’s reservation rate hovered near 50% two weeks ago before dropping down nine points in CCU’s final tally.
Hotels have been notably less popular than vacation rentals during the pandemic as people sought out to avoid crowds. Reliable data for them will not be available until closer to New Year’s.
Beaches and mountains became popular pandemic vacation destinations due to the wide open outdoor spaces they provide for tourists compared to cramped cities like New York and Los Angeles. South Carolina’s beaches more so than others stood as a big draw for travelers with its relatively lax coronavirus restrictions.
Another LendingTree study recently showed that Myrtle Beach was the least crowded airport for holiday travel. The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, with 15 gates to Myrtle Beach’s 12, was the 5th least crowded. Both airports could lose those rankings, however, if holiday travel to South Carolina beaches spiked like it did the week of Thanksgiving.
The Myrtle Beach airport has 19,571 scheduled departing seats this week (Dec. 19-27), up nearly 2,000 seats than last year, spokesman Ryan Betcher said in a statement. Most travelers are expected to pass through the airport the weekends before and after Christmas.
“This information represents an increase of approximately ten percent for 2020 vs. 2019 and demonstrates that strong demand for air travel to/from MYR is expected during the holiday season,” Betcher said
Vacation rental reservations skyrocketed the week of Thanksgiving, rising more than 20 points than the year before to 65%, according to CCU’s data. Hotels, significantly less popular, only rose two points, but still served as a solid bellwether for tourists’ interest in the Grand Strand.
At the end of November, the vacation rental reservation rate for this week (Dec. 19-25) was only 37.3%, though it was three points last year. The 13 point rise in the reservation rate since then, however, shows how little warnings from health officials and rising coronavirus cases and deaths around the country had on many American travelers.
The U.S. hit 300,000 deaths from the virus 10 days ago. If trends continue, many experts predict 400,000 will die by the end of January, or early February at the latest, many of them older Americans exposed to the virus by younger family members. This year is already the deadliest in U.S. history.
South Carolina has 4,651 confirmed deaths as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the state health officials.
For those determined to travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends reducing the size of gatherings, holding them outdoors and wearing masks when social distancing is not possible.
In the case of meals, health officials recommend designating a single, masked person to make plates and hand out food. This reduces the need to crowd around tables or in kitchens.
For those who fly, keep in mind that coronavirus tests immediately before and after getting on a plane can create a false sense of security. It can take up to seven days to test positive for the virus after exposure, even if you are starting to feel symptoms.
