Research Shows Those Who Plan Take More Vacation, Are Happier
Tucson, AZ (January 31, 2017) - To help fulfill America's vacation resolutions this year, Simpleview, the travel and tourism industry's leading provider of technology-based marketing solutions for destination marketing organizations (DMOs), is encouraging clients, staff, and friends and family to start making a personal vacation plan for 2017, as part of the first-ever National Plan for Vacation Day on January 31.
More than half (55%) of Americans do not use all the time off they earn, leading to 658 million unused vacation days a year. National Plan for Vacation Day, launched by US Travel's Project: Time Off, is a call-to-action for Americans to take back their calendars and plan their time off.
As always, Simpleview and their destination marketing-focused clients stand ready to help Americans make vacations happen, and make them memorable. Many DMOs use Simpleview's industry-specific Content Management System and creative services to provide travel planners with inspirational and user-friendly destination websites to help potential vacationers plan their trips, from the dreaming phase, to in-destination adventures.
"We work with over 500 destination marketing organizations around the globe who are eager to share the unique beauty and adventures of their locations with vacationers," said Cara Frank, VP of Marketing for Simpleview. "They know intimately the benefits of travel to individuals, cities, states, regions, and the nation, and they stand ready, especially with our technological tools supporting them, to serve the needs of travel planners from the dreaming and inspiration phase, to the planning phase, and right through the vacation experience to the been-there-done-that, can't-wait-to-share the story phase."
Also in support of National Plan for Vacation Day, Simpleview's social media posts for the week encouraged clients, many of whom work for DMOs across the nation, and Americans in general, to plan for and take vacation for their health and well-being. Simpleview's Human Resources team sent out a company-wide email this week reminding staff of their allotted paid time off for the year, encouraging them to plan for it and use it for the benefit of staff and company.
According to Project: Time Off's The State of American Vacation 2016, amount of vacation time taken showed a clear correlation to happiness at home; the more vacation days used, the lower the home-life stress. Respondents were also happier with their job, company, financial situation, and professional success.
The benefits of vacation go beyond the individual, extending to the organizations that employ them. Project: Time Off research also found that 89 percent of managers agree that by using time off, employees can de-stress, improve their health and wellbeing, and cut down on sick days and burnout. The majority (84%) of managers also agree that employees return to work after vacation with greater focus and creativity.
Every year Simpleview supports employee vacations by providing and encouraging the use of paid time off, and offering incentive programs like their SimpleStar initiative, which awards one lucky employee nominated by their peers as going above and beyond in their work, with a $3000 vacation for two.
The single-most important step workers can take to mitigate their fears about taking time off and make vacation possible is to plan their time off in advance. Yet less than half (49%) of households set aside time to plan the use of their vacation time each year.
Planners have an advantage over non-planners. According to Project: Time Off's The State of American Vacation 2016, planners use more of their time and take longer vacations.
- 51 percent of those who plan took all their vacation time, compared to just 39 percent of non-planners.
- 69 percent of planners took a week or more of vacation, compared to just 46 percent of non-planners.
"Unused time off is not only a missed opportunity for an individual's health, well-being, and success, but also for businesses who want the best version of their employees," said Gary Oster, Managing Director of Project: Time Off. "National Plan for Vacation Day ensures our hard-earned time off is put to good use for the benefit of all."
###
About National Plan for Vacation Day
National Plan for Vacation Day is a national observance dedicated to encouraging Americans to plan their vacations for the rest of the year at the start of the year. According to Project: Time Off, a national movement to transform American vacation attitudes and behaviors, individuals who plan their vacation time for the year are more likely to use all their time off and take longer vacations. Learn more at ProjectTimeOff.com/PlanForVacation and join the conversation with #PlanForVacation.
About Simpleview
Simpleview is the travel and tourism industry's leading provider of CRM, CMS, website design, search marketing, revenue generation, and mobile technologies for destination marketing organizations (DMOs). The company employs 190+ staff and works with more than 500 customers in North America and around the world, including destinations like Paducah, KY (population 25,018), the country of Norway, and 80% of the top U.S. convention cities.
