New Delhi– Expedia.com, the world’s largest online travel agency, today released the results of the 2011 Vacation Deprivation study, an annual analysis of vacation habits across multiple countries and continents. Per the vacation deprivation survey, India has emerged as the 5^th most vacation deprived nation after Japan and Korea. The poll was carried out amongst 7083 employed people across 20 countries.

“At Expedia, we believe that vacations are an essential part of a healthy work life. Vacations give you a chance to relax and recharge, and the happiest employees tend to be the most productive,” said Mr. Manmeet Ahluwalia, Head- Marketing, Expedia (India). “In India, vacations tend to be viewed as a guilty habit and as many as 54% Indians spend vacations usually secretly checking emails.”

The 2011 study spans India, North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. It reveals who gets the most vacation, who takes the most vacation and people’s attitudes towards vacationing. Common themes impacting how and where respondents’ vacations include money, romance and disapproving bosses.

“With travel planning emerging as a critical impediment to taking a holiday for Indians, we believe Expedia offers some exciting opportunities through its wide global inventory of flights, hotels, providing choice and flexibility to travelers. Our unique offerings include” BYT” and highly attractive deal hunter and last min/ super saver options address the needs of the India traveler, who seems to be primarily last minute travel planners”, he added.

Appended are the detailed findings of the survey:

• Is professional life taking precedence over personal life for Indians or is vacationing in India still not taken seriously? Yes.
  • 28% of Indians would prefer getting paid for unused vacations
  • Over 29% of Indian respondents said ‘they couldn’t plan their holidays’ owing to work pressures
  • ‘Non supportive bosses’ came close second as an excuse for 28%.  
  • Surprisingly, despite receiving  more than twice the number vacations earned by their counterparts in the APAC, Indians hardly ever take vacation planning seriously

• Indians still consider vacation as a ‘luxury’ as opposed to a necessity: Did you know Indians on an average receive 25 days off every year; second only to the Europeans? Yes, the study indicates that.

• ·         Indians receive 25 days on an average, which is the highest in the APAC region. However they do not use upto 20% of vacation days given to them.
• ·         Brazilians treat vacation as the Europeans do – as an expectation rather than a luxury. The study showed that Brazilian workers receive 30 vacation days and enjoy every one of them.

• India is the fifth most vacation deprived nation: waste 1/5^th of the total number of their total vacation days, reveals the study.
  • Across APAC, Japanese workers trailed the field, taking a mere five vacation days out of 11 available, while South Korean respondents enjoyed seven out of a possible ten days’ vacation.

• Is it important for organizations to revisit their HR policies to encourage proper work life balance?
  • Most workers across the APAC region and Europe, including 28% Indians, said their bosses weren’t supportive of them taking vacations
  • The percentage was highest for Italy (56% boss disapproval) and South Korea (52%), where respondents were likeliest to suggest that management frowns on employee vacations.

• Most Indian vacationers find it difficult to disconnect from work.
  • India has one of the highest number of people checking in during vacations with 53% checking in regularly and 31% sometimes. Japan has a similar percentage.
  • The reverse is true for US where 41% never checking in and  25% regularly. European countries , employees completely let go, hardly ever checking in, with the exception of France with 56% checking in regularly, 31% sometimes

• Most Indians prefer traveling with family to beaches with plenty of relaxation time over romance and spouse.
  • For Indians, relaxed beach vacations come first and Romantic destinations come close second.  Globally, beach vacations are king.
  • Twice as many respondents cited beach vacations as their preference, versus “romantic holidays with spouse” – except in South Korea, which overwhelmingly chose “romantic holidays” (45% versus 27% favoring the beach).
  • Romance was the preferred option for the Japanese as well, unlike Argentineans and Mexicans, who were four or five times as likely to select the beach as they were to choose a romantic holiday, a city getaway or an outdoor adventure.

Expedia’s Vacation Deprivation study polled 7083 employed people across 20 countries. It asked respondents to share the number of vacation days (as distinct from mandated holidays) they take each year, what obstacles they face, where they prefer to holiday and how they behave on arrival.