Memorial Day weekend brings big business to the valley
Memorial Day weekend is well underway, with many visitors flocking to the valley for what many call the unofficial start of summer.
AAA estimates this weekend will mark the highest travel volume for the holiday in 10 years.
Which means a big boom for the local economy.
Pinocchio’s restaurant has had a continuous wait all day Sunday.
“Because it’s a long weekend, so it started on Friday already, you have Saturday, Sunday and tomorrow, so it’s going to be very busy for tomorrow, too, but that’s a good thing,” owner Desiree Gerhardt said.
Many hotels in the area are sold out for the weekend
The Saguaro Hotel said holiday weekends, like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, are what what gets them through the month.
“They make our month, so they’re very important to us and luckily in Palm Springs we have great weather this weekend so that helped us out,” manager Dan Burgess said.
Which is good news for those who are worried about the slower summer months ahead.
AAA estimates more than 37 million people will travel more than 50 miles this weekend.
“It’s fantastic and it’s so nice to see downtown buzzing and so many people out and about visiting restaurants. Such a huge difference from, you know, from a few years ago. So it’s great to see the younger generation returning to Palm Springs,” Burgess said.
But in light of all the parties and fun in the sun, many agree the most important thing is to remember the reason for the holiday.
“When you ask someone to put the full devotion of their life on the line for their country people should not only appreciate it but remember it,” Vietnam veteran Herschel Sims said.
“We should remember all these people because they’re the reason we’re here today standing up straight and being proud,” Mary Illouz, who is visiting Palm Springs, said.
“All of the people that serve this country and take care of us that we have this freedom that we have in this country. It’s very important that we always remember,” Gerhardt said.
More people in town will mean heavy traffic on I-10 Monday.
