Travellers from Asia are mobile “addicts”, not willing to give up their devices while on vacation, according to the new Disconnect to Reconnect survey from Hotels.com.
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The study, which looks into digital holiday habits across 28 countries, found travellers from Thailand were the least prepared to give up their mobile devices with a staggering 85% saying they would be unwilling to do so. Korea came in second with 78%, followed by Japan (69%), China (67%) and Singapore (60%).
On the other end of the spectrum is India with just 20% of respondents saying they would be unable to abandon their mobile devices or laptops, followed by Argentina (22%) and Spain (23%).
In North America, only 27% Canadians and 28% of Mexican travellers said they would be unwilling to do so.
When it comes to American travel habits, two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they spend at least some time using social media while on vacation, with 28% saying they spend an hour or more each day.
A majority of Americans also admit to spending some time checking or responding to work email while on vacation (56%), but most said they spend less than an hour a day (36%), while 44% say they spend no time at all. Overall, most US travellers (72%) return home with no regrets about spending time on their mobile devices.
The study also revealed the top10 most important travel items for Americans. Smartphones were the most important travel item after passports, while travel insurance was the least important of all.
As for bragging rights and which countries are most likely to exaggerate their vacation experiences, China came top of the pile with 67% respondents likely to lie to friends and family when returning home. Germany is in second place with 64% followed by Korea (48%), Spain (47%) and Thailand (46%) making up the top five to admit they would embellish a travel story to impress others.
Travellers from Mexico are least likely to exaggerate their experiences (8%), followed by Hong Kong at 9% and Argentina 12%. (See infographic of survey below).
Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert at Hotels.com, said, “Going away on vacation should be a time to unwind, whether you’re lying on a beach in Cancun or snowboarding down a mountain in Vail. While smartphones are useful for checking the weather or viewing maps, travellers would benefit from switching off their emails to disconnect and restore a little more of the all-important work-life balance.”
