OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) -- A regional auto association is predicting a not-so-festive holiday weekend for the Maryland tourism industry.
AAA Mid-Atlantic says its projections show a dip in the number of people traveling for Independence Day, despite gas prices that are nearly $1.50 below last summer's record highs.
The group says the number of Americans hitting the road for the holiday will decrease by about 2.6 percent from 2008. In Maryland, about 709,000 residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more round-trip, a 0.6 percent decline from last year.
Still, officials in Ocean City are hopeful about the Fourth after sunny weather and lower gas prices brought the city's
second-largest Memorial Day crowd.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
