4 in 5 Singaporeans are feeling the impact of inflation, but vacation still top of mind – Expedia study

With Singaporeans taking more personal time off in 2022, vacation deprivation sentiments saw the biggest dip for the first time in 5 years

Today Expedia released its 23^rd-annual Vacation Deprivation report, concluding that vacation deprivation levels in Singapore saw more than a 10 percent drop – the highest in recent years – as Singapore’s working adults adapt to navigate travel barriers in their personal lives and workplace. Despite obstacles such as rising inflation costs, Singaporeans unanimously (96%) feel that they deserve their basic right to taking personal time off from work. with a fifth of Singapore travellers making a pledge to travel “no matter what” in 2023.

The 2023 report polled more than 14,500 people across 16 countries, including 500 respondents from Singapore. Key findings on Singapore’s vacation deprivation results include:

58% of Singaporean adults report feeling vacation deprived. This is a drop from its ranking of 3^rd to 11^th most vacation deprived country, compared to 2022. This is substantially lower than vacation deprivation levels Singaporeans reported in 2021 (69%), which followed a year characterised by travel restrictions and lockdowns.

While most Singaporean adults felt impacted by inflation (82%), only 8% plan to take fewer vacation days out of worry about the economy or recession. Rather, most intend to take just as many vacations (37%), if not more (47%), as they usually do. When asked about their approach to travel in 2023, 1 in 5 Singapore travellers (20%) said they plan to travel “no matter what.”

Almost all (96%) Singaporeans feel they deserve to take time off and regard it is a basic right and regular vacations are important for general health and well-being (96%). In fact, 93% feel that vacations are more beneficial to their happiness than other luxuries like fine-dining or shopping and in turn, 86% prioritised vacations over other everyday luxuries. 

With Singapore travellers more conscious in the current inflationary state, 72% noted feeling stress during travel booking as they were not sure if they are getting a good deal. As more Singaporean travellers (36%) are frequently utilising trip planning tools like price alerts to maximise their travel planning, the introduction of new Expedia tools including Price Tracking can help travellers reclaim their time off for their getaways.

“This global annual report from Expedia shows that not only is vacation deprivation a feeling of not having enough annual leave, but it’s also the personal mindset of travellers”, says Lavinia Rajaram, Director, Public Relations Asia and Global Corporate Communications, Expedia Brands “Close to a quarter of Singaporeans (22%) revealed the worry of not being able to afford a trip away as one of the main reasons for not being able to use all of their annual leave, which is why Expedia is focused on making it easier for travellers to get away, whether that’s through price tracking for flights or member savings.”

To read more download the global 2023 Vacation Deprivation report here.

**end of release**

Additional findings on the state of Vacation Deprivation in Singapore:

Singapore workers looking for flexibility at the workplace for their wellbeing:

• On average, Singaporeans received 17 days of annual leave in 2022 – the least among workers in the region. Singaporeans also took fewer days off than most other markets, using only 14.5 vacation days off on average.
• The 2023 report also revealed that 58% of Singaporeans admitted being so busy at work that they can rarely use all their vacation days each year, while 62% feel they have a hard time “unplugging” from work.
• While half of Singapore workers (47%) acknowledged the usefulness of a vacation on improving their mental health, only 33% said their employers allow or are supportive of paid mental health days – one of the lowest in the region. In general, Asia Pacific employers are less likely to allow or support paid mental health days (45%), apart from those in Hong Kong (71%).
• The inclusion of paid mental health days encourages Singaporeans to take the much-needed break, with 42% reporting taking at least 1 day off to focus on their mental health in 2023.
• However, a large majority (84%) of Singaporeans wish their company would alter their time off policies.
• 83% of Singaporeans would want their workplace to adopt a 4-day work week, with 54% looking to use that extra time for personal appointments and projects, while 29% hoping to have more time for travel.

Singapore travellers continue to prioritise travel and flexibility:

• Travel concerns remain as more than 39% of Singapore travellers reported having a trip cancelled or significantly delayed by circumstances out of their control in the past 12 months.
• With all this to consider, it’s no surprise that Singaporeans have the strongest preference for flexible travel booking among all markets. 95% agreed that the ability to change travel plans without hassle is one of the most important thing travellers are looking for when booking a trip in 2023.
• To help vacation deprived Singapore adults reclaim their well-deserved time off, the latest Expedia app features have been designed with the traveller in mind. Using Expedia data, AI and machine learning, the in-app features include:
  • Price Tracking: View price history and receive alerts when prices fluctuate to help take the guesswork out of booking.
  • Conversational trip planning: iOS users can use Expedia’s new in-app feature powered by ChatGPT to make travel planning easier. Start an open-ended conversation in the Expedia app and get recommendations on places to go, where to stay, how to get around, and what to see and do.
  • Packages: Book airfare, hotel, and car at the same time on Expedia, otherwise known as bundling, to instantly unlock savings.

About the research:

Expedia first commissioned Vacation Deprivation in 2000 to examine the work-life balance of people worldwide. The annual study is currently in its 23^rd year and was conducted online among 14,527 respondents across North and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Commissioned from February 9 to March 3, 2023, on behalf of Expedia by Northstar Research Partners, a global strategic research firm, responses were gathered using an amalgamated group of best-in-class panels. Looking at the margin of error for the global average, a 1-4% difference is statistically significant at 90% confidence.