国际英语新闻：Fewer Americans travel over Memorial Day weekend amid recession

LOS ANGELES, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Millions of Americans are traveling over the Memorial Day despite the worst economic downturn in decades, but apparently not as many as in past years.

    Some 32.4 million people, or about one in 10 Americans, have plans to travel over the four-day holiday weekend, according to estimates by the AAA auto club.

    In Southern California, 2.5 million people are expected to travel, which is a drop of 2.3 percent from last year.

    "The economic downturn is affecting California more acutely than many other parts of the country, and the double-digit unemployment has without a doubt pushed down the number of holiday travelers," said AAA spokesman Jeffrey Spring.

    And despite rising gas prices in recent months, more than 80 percent of Southern Californians will get to their destination by car, according to the auto club.

    Meanwhile, about 730,000 people are expected to travel through Los Angeles International Airport over the long weekend, a 10 percent decline compared to last year, airport officials say.

    The drop in travel is the result of the recession and fewer seats being offered on flights in the Los Angeles market, according to Los Angeles World Airports, which operates airports in the area.

    In California, about 4 million people are expected to take Memorial Day weekend trips, with 3.3 million traveling by car and 343,000 traveling by plane, estimates said. Las Vegas, San Diego and San Francisco are among the most favorable destinations for Californians.