TORONTO — The 1.5 days of vacation time the average Canadian traveller leaves on the table could translate into a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay, or an extra night at a resort.
Canadians will get an average of 17 vacation days in 2015, but only use 15.5 of them, according to Expedia.ca’s 2015 Vacation Deprivation Survey. That adds up to 10 million unused days.
Meanwhile more than half of Canadians (53%) consider themselves vacation deprived. The highest proportion put the blame on work schedules (32%), followed by other financial obligations (29%) and family obligations (24%).
The survey also revealed that more than one million Canadians have not taken a vacation in over 15 years and more than 1.4 million Canadians have never been on a vacation in their lifetime.
Other findings from the 2015 survey:
- While Canadians take approximately 15 vacation days per year, people in Spain, Denmark and France take nearly double that amount: 30.
- Since the inception of the Vacation Deprivation Survey in 2003, Canadians have collectively left more than 350 million vacation days on the table, resulting in $53 billion in wages handed back to employers.
- More than seven out of 10 Canadians associate vacationing with overall happiness. Close to 80% say they feel energized and excited before they leave for vacation.
- Forty per cent say feeling less stressed and relaxed is what they have experienced as a result of a vacation. Thirty-six per cent say they are simply happier after a vacation.
- More than 60% of Canadians stay connected by checking their personal emails while on vacation. Almost half stay connected through calling and texting family and friends.
