Canadians Are Definitely Deprived
Well, the verdict is in … Canadians are unquestionably vacation deprived. If you don’t believe that, consider the newly released 2015 edition of Expedia.ca’s Vacation Deprivation Survey.
That survey, which was conducted by Northstar this year, reports on the number of unused vacation days that Canadians have accumulated.
In 2015, the survey reveals, Canadians will receive an average of 17 vacation days from their employers – which is an increase of one additional day over 2014 – however, they’ll only take 15.5 of those days. The result is that in 2015, Canadians will leave close to 10 million vacation days unused.
And Expedia.ca also points out that since it launched the Vacation Deprivation survey in 2003, Canadians have left over 350 million vacation days on the table, resulting in an overwhelming CDN$53 billion in wages being handed back to employers.
Christopher Day, senior marketing director for Expedia Canada, observed, “For the past 13 years, the survey has uncovered an undeniable trend — Canadians are not living up to our friends across the pond when it comes to taking vacation. Unsurprisingly, a staggering number of Canadians (53%) continue to consider themselves vacation deprived.”
So why are Canadians not using all of their vacation days. Well, 32% said their work schedule was the reason; while 29% pointed to saving for other obligations such as a house, tuition, or paying off debt (29%); and 24% said personal and family schedules were the reason.
The 2015 Vacation Deprivation survey also discovered that over 1 million Canadians haven’t taken a vacation in over 15 years, while more than 1.4 million Canadians have never been on a vacation in their lifetime.
Stress and wellness expert, Beverly Beuermann-King said of the results, “Over the years, we’ve noticed some recurring reasons as to why Canadians aren’t taking full advantage of their allotted vacation time. Commonly, it’s because things such as looking after family and focusing on their careers have taken priority.”
Beuermann-King, who has been associated with the program since 2003, continued, “While investing in our jobs and families is important, so is investing in our physical and mental well being. In fact, taking time off for yourself can often result in improved relationships with others and greater productivity.”
Clearly, educating Canadians on the importance of taking a vacation is a priority and in 2015, Expedia.ca – which by the way is celebrating 15 years of operation here in Canada – took things to the next level.
The online travel agency (OTA) went in search of Canada’s most vacation-deprived individuals, surprising three pairs of deserving Canadians who hadn’t travelled in 15 years with an all-expense paid vacation to the countries that have proven time and time again to be the leaders in taking all of their allotted vacation time — Spain, Denmark and France, where people get 30 days annual vacation.
Day observed, “Year after year, our survey has revealed that Canadians continue to be plagued with vacation deprivation. So this year, instead of simply telling Canadians what they are missing out on, Expedia.ca wanted to show them first hand. That’s why we took our Vacation Deprivation Survey to the next level with Vacation Education, seeking out Canada’s most vacation deprived and sending them to the three countries that understand the value of taking time off to travel most.”
The videos of the winners can be found at https://www.youtube.com/user/ExpediaCA … make sure you check them out — it’s worth it.
Plus, Expedia.ca is extending the Vacation Education opportunity to even more vacation-deprived Canadians, hosting its biggest sale of the year and offering customers the chance to win their vacation. To check it out, visit http://www.Expedia.ca/15AnniversarySale.
