Radisson survey reveals nearly half of Americans skip vacation
A new survey released by Radisson reveals that 48 percent of Americans opted not to take a vacation in 2011. Are you one of them?
Radisson announced the results of the national survey with Kelton Research that reveals the travel habits, or lack thereof of working Americans. Among them, the survey showed that 48 percent of Americans in 2011 passed on taking a portion of their vacation days, citing mounting work pressures as the reason for not taking time off. The survey of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over, identified that workload and a reluctance to play catch-up were among the top reasons for not using all their vacation time.
But, despite the above reveal, what's more interesting is what American workers said they would forgo in order to gain an additional five vacation days in 2012:
- Nearly one in four revealed they would give up their next promotion or 5 percent of their salary.
- 52 percent said they'd give up all office-sponsored events
- 30 percent said they'd give up a a favorite beverage
- 25 percent said they'd stop listening to music for five extra days off work
- 23 percent said they'd work through lunch breaks for extra vacation time
- 20 percent would give up an extra hour of sleep a day
The survey also acknowledged the needs of business travelers, who by default have to travel for their job, and seem to find a way to mix business and pleasure on the road. According to the survey, approximately 63 percent of business travelers bring family along on a business trip as a way to spend more time with them (read: merging the "vacation" into the business). As far as the amenities that business travelers want, and expect, while traveling, the results aren't all that surprising.
Seventy-two percent of business travelers ranked high-speed Internet as the most important hotel amenity, while only 65 percent of leisure travelers said it was important.
Rounding out the top five amenities for business travelers were:
- Hotel restaurant or café (70 percent)
- Room service (51 percent)
- Hotel pool (46 percent)
- Hotel fitness center (44 percent)
Top amenities for leisure travelers were:
- Hotel restaurant or café (69 percent)
- Hotel pool (69 percent)
- Room service (43 percent)
- Hotel fitness center (39 percent)
Readers: Your thoughts? Are you one of the 48 percent of Americans who opted not to take your vacation days in 2011? Do you plan on changing that in 2012?
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About the author
Melanie Nayer is a travel writer who spent many years in the newsroom before jetting off to see the world. Her goal is to bring readers the best insider information More »Recent blog posts
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