More Southern Californians plan to stay home this Labor Day

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Despite statewide gasoline prices that are, on average, 87 cents a gallon cheaper than a year ago, the number of Southern Californians traveling this Labor Day weekend is expected to be 13% lower than last year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Fewer than 3 million Southern Californians are expected to head out of town this weekend, down from 3.38 million last year. Of those traveling this year, 2.34 million, or 79%, plan to drive to their vacation spots, about the same percentage as last year.

The Auto Club blamed the decline on several factors, including the lateness of the holiday this year, which creates conflicts with some school schedules. Sept. 7 is the latest Labor Day date in years.

The top Labor Day destinations for Southern Californians are Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, the Central Coast and Yosemite. Last year, Mexico was among the top five destinations, but it has dropped off the list because of the outbreak of H1N1 (‘swine flu’) and violence among drug cartels near the border.

-- Hugo Martin