SSI Survey Finds Travelers Plan to Spend More on Vacations

Sixty percent of consumers around the world are planning to spend as much or more on their vacations this year as they did on their last getaways, according to new research with Survey Sampling International’s (SSI) global online panels. The consumers most likely to increase their vacation spending are in the Pacific Rim. Americans and Japanese are the likeliest to skip their vacations.

The Chinese and Singaporeans are most likely to be increasing their vacation budgets, with almost half of respondents in those countries anticipating spending more on their upcoming vacations. In addition, about a third of New Zealanders and Australians are investing more this year in their vacation plans. In contrast, just 10 percent of American and Japanese consumers, 11 percent of French consumers and 12 percent of German consumers plan to boost their vacation spend.

Although there appears to be widespread optimism around vacation planning, there are many consumers who are actively cutting their vacation budgets. Almost a third of French respondents and a quarter of U.K. and South Korean participants say that they will spend less on their next vacations than their last. Japan (23 percent), the U.S. (22 percent) and Germany (20 percent) also have many consumers looking to spend less on their upcoming trips than in the past.

Consumers in Asia-Pacific seem to be particularly likely to travel during their vacations, with about 90 percent of Chinese and Singaporeans and 85 percent of Australians, South Koreans and New Zealanders planning overnight trips. The Japanese seem to be the anomaly, with just 41 percent planning to leave home for vacations. In Europe, the British (79 percent) and French (74 percent) are most likely to travel on their holidays. Almost 70 percent of American consumers also are planning to leave home for vacation.

While respondents like to travel, more than half plan to do it within their own countries. American and Japanese consumers are most likely to stay within their own borders, with 82 percent of respondents in each country saying they are more likely to travel domestically.

A high percentage of South Korean (80 percent), French (68 percent) and Australian (62 percent) consumers also plan to travel in their own countries. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the majority of Singaporeans (90 percent), Germans (60 percent), British (58 percent) and Chinese (53 percent) are looking forward to international trips.

U.S. (37 percent) and Japanese (33 percent) consumers are most likely to say they don’t take vacations that are longer than four days. About a quarter of Germans also do not get away for at least four days at a time. The Chinese are least likely to miss out on taking time off, with just 7 percent saying they don’t take vacations at least four days long.

Whatever type of vacations consumers plan to take, the adjectives they use most often to describe their ideal getaways are relaxing (48 percent), memorable (39 percent), restful (29 percent), fun (27 percent), entertaining (24 percent) and interesting (23 percent). Conversely, quiet (12 percent), adventurous (11 percent), long (8 percent) and productive (4 percent) are not popular choices for describing the perfect vacation.