More than half of holidaymakers occasionally or frequently had to work while on vacation, and more than half of this group cancelled or postponed holidays because of work.
Only one in 10 vacationers is able to “turn off” completely from work, or cannot remember a holiday uninterrupted by work.
The Holiday Inn “Do More of What You Love” survey was conducted between April and July via SoGoSurvey.com. A total of 521 respondents were surveyed across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa.
“Despite the large numbers of travellers who admit work does often encroach on their holiday time, what we find encouraging is that other group of travellers who find ways to switch off, relax, rejuvenate and enjoy their break,” said Lee Lin Teo, head manager of the Holiday Inn brand for Asia, the Middle East and Africa at InterContinental Hotels Group.
The survey explored what guests love to do and see during vacations with friends and family. Key findings indicate that in today’s “always on, always connected” world, travellers find it challenging truly to disengage from work.
More than half (56 per cent) of the holidaymakers surveyed said they had either occasionally or frequently had to work while on vacation, and more than 55 per cent of this group have had to cancel or postpone holidays because of urgent last-minute work commitments.
Whether participants are male or female, parents or child-free, the findings show that taking a break is not easy to achieve:
More men (57 per cent) than women (42 per cent) frequently work on holidays. More male than female respondents (56 per cent and 43 per cent respectively) said they had had to cancel or postpone holidays because something urgent at work had come up. Of those who have had to cancel or postpone a holiday due to work, child-free respondents were worst affected (63 per cent).
Some travellers are finding ways to make work “work” while on holidays. Almost one in three (30 per cent) say they only check work e-mails and messages once their children are in bed, with the survey finding women (61 per cent) more disciplined than men (38 per cent) at doing this.
Regional comparisons showed parents from Japan, Southeast Asia and India were best at only checking in with work once their little ones were snoozing. Those from the Middle East scored among the lowest, not surprising given that almost half (47 per cent) said they had to cancel or postpone family holidays because of work.
Younger travellers around the region were also surveyed, with many saying they were seeing their mums and dads working during their precious breaks instead of spending quality time with them.
In fact, more than 10 per cent say their parents always work on holidays, which is food for thought as almost a quarter (23 per cent) of all kids surveyed said they felt sad when their parents worked on vacation, saying they simply wanted to spend time or play together with their parents.