SAN DIEGO – A Mission Bay hotel is reporting 90% of its rooms are booked up for the holiday weekend, a likely sign of things to come in San Diego ahead of the Fourth of July.

“This year, same as years past, July’s our absolute peak season here on Mission Bay,” said Will Cherashore, general manager of the Bahia Resort Hotel. “We anticipate occupancy will be about 90% for the month.”

He said the high occupancy rate seems to mirror most San Diego hotels. At the Bahia, he said most of those incoming guests are from nearby states or from California.

“We’ve seen a lot of staycations,” Cherashore said. “A lot of California license plates.”

According to an Automobile Club of Southern California survey, San Diego ranks as the No. 2 destination for the Fourth of July holiday. But San Diego isn’t the only hot spot, AAA Travel Expert Doug Shupe said AAA is predicting 3.3 million Southern Californians to travel for the Fourth of July. Las Vegas and several national parks rank high on the list.

“It’s going to be pretty close to the pre-pandemic levels that we saw Fourth of July 2019,” Shupe said.

The San Diego International Airport anticipates a 10% hike in passengers this holiday weekend compared to current travel. However, Shupe said most travel in Southern California is going to be on the roads.

“People are ready to get out there to explore America and explore the world again,” he said.

With such high demand, rental cars are running low in some parts of the country and gas prices are soaring.

But Shupe said even with higher prices, it’s unlikely to deter travelers.