WHILE it is safe to say you’d find vacation deprived people the world over, the country that is suffering the worst case of vacation deprivation (word of the month, or gasp, year) is Singapore.
Perhaps not a surprising result, considering the limitations of space in this small city state.
So just how vacation deprived are Singaporeans anyway? Expedia’s findings from its 2020 Vacation Deprivation® Study, which took a look at vacation-related trends of working adults in Singapore and around the world following a year in which almost every aspect of life was spent under one roof showed that 71% of Singaporeans were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ vacation deprived last year, up from 67% in 2019.
“Singaporeans are some of the most avid travellers in the region, and when we consider the lack of options for inter-city travel within the country, it is of little surprise that they are the most vacation deprived people globally this year. But they have adapted well with embracing the nationalistic spirit of rediscovering Singapore while supporting local tourism through staycations and local activities,” said Lavinia Rajarm, APAC head of communications, Brand Expedia.
The latest edition of Expedia’s annual Vacation Deprivation Study surveyed 9,200 consumers in 16 markets globally.
These are other notable insights:
• Singaporeans only took an average of 10 vacation days in 2020, much lower than the 15 vacation days they would usually
• Singaporeans ready to spend big once travel returns
• Some 62% intend to spend more on their bucket list vacation than originally planned
• As Singaporeans remain cautious, flexibility will be a top priority
• Only 18% of Singaporeans have booked travel for 2021 – lower than the global average of 21%
• Some 44% of Singapore respondents said future travel planning will highly depend on the success of the COVID-19 vaccine
Italy tied Singapore with 71% there also saying they were vacation-deprived. South Korea and France registered 70% and Malaysia, 68%.
In Singapore, the younger in the population namely the 18 – 34 year olds were found to be the most vacation deprived group, with 85% identifying with the syndrome. This was followed by those in the 35 – 49 age range (68%) and those aged 50 (51%).
Once the borders reopen, expect Singaporeans to travel again. Some 62% intend to spend more on their bucket list vacation than originally planned, while 67% said their travel list budget for 2021 has increased because of the pandemic.
However, Singaporeans enthusiasm for travel is tempered by their cautiousness. Only 18% of Singaporeans have booked travel for 2021, lower than the global average of 21%. Some 44% said future travel planning will depend on the success of the Covid-19 vaccine. In Addition, 39% of Singapore respondents said they are waiting until the latter half of 2021 to travel, coming in only behind Hong Kong where 41% plan to do so.
Flexibility in travel bookings will be key in the new travel environment. Refundable travel options will also be a pre-requisite for many. 33% of Singaporeans say they will only book travel that is fully refundable in case they don’t feel comfortable travelling, and 21% said they intend to book last-minute travel when they know it is safe to do so. Some 20% said they only plan to travel to places where they can remain socially distant from others.
Strong interest among Singaporeans have been picked up for international travel to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Maldives, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Bali, London and Ho Chi Minh City.
