TRAVEL delays caused by the traditional Easter getaway were consigned to the past as holidaymakers either jetted off to the sun or opted for "day-cations" against a back drop of fuel fears and wintry conditions.
The RAC said drivers are already changing their habits because of record fuel prices and this, coupled with a drop in temperature, led to traffic volumes plummeting over the bank holiday in comparison to recent years.
Both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports saw passenger boosts with more people heading to places like Spain and Florida. VisitScotland also reported many people decided instead to stay local, visiting attractions such as Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Edinburgh Castle or the Spring Festival at Aberdeen Arts Centre.
It said this was reflected by the 7% annual increase in numbers of people going through the doors of information centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Edinburgh Airport had a 13% increase in passenger numbers on Easter last year, with 140,000 travelling between Thursday and yesterday.
Glasgow Airport had a roughly steady figure of about 90,000 for last weekend compared to last year, but it had an extra lift with a similar number the previous week when the break began, a spokesman said.
Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said "day-cations" where people visit friends and families, enjoy meals out, take part in outdoor activities, visit attractions and watch live sporting events are the most popular. It has provided a much-needed boost for local economies, he added.
He said: "A recent report has shown day trips, or day-cations, contribute £6.2 billion to the Scottish economy and the trend certainly seemed to be borne out over the Easter weekend, with our VisitScotland Information Centres welcoming large numbers of visitors.
"Easter is always a great time for people to get out and about and to do things as a family, whether it's paying a visit to Scotland's wealth of fantastic attractions or exploring the city or countryside."
The spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: "Over the two weekends we had 180,000 so that was quite busy. People were going to mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, Dubai and Florida."
A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said the numbers were encouraging: "That was up about 6% to 7% on a normal March weekend."
Nick Finnigan, executive manager at Edinburgh Castle, said: "We were up on last year. The pattern has been quite diverse.
"On the Saturday it was up about 1000 on last year with about 6500 in total, on Sunday it was down slightly and over the weekend since Thursday as a whole we had about 15,000. Overall we are quite happy with the results."
Vicki Burn, RAC spokeswoman, said: "Volumes of traffic were far lower than normal because of the price of fuel and because of the weather.
"People are finding it so expensive to drive they are changing their driving habits.
"The warm weather followed by the cold will probably have had a bearing on whether people go away.
"It is like the huge Easter getaway is a thing of the past."
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