Work rather than holidays on our minds this Christmas

Work rather than holidays is the foremost thing on the minds of Aussies this festive season, according to a new survey.

The study of 1000 people by the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) showed that a mere 12.5% said they would take time off to relax over the holiday period.

A significant 40.3% meanwhile said it would simply e “business as usual”.

Recent Roy Morgan research supported the results, showing Australians to be “leave hoarders” with a collective 123.5 million days’ worth of leave stashed away.

The TTF urged Aussies to take full advantage of their holiday allowance and take the opportunity to explore their own backyard.

“As the weather warms and the Christmas/New Year public holidays rush at us Aussies need to remember that we live on one of the greatest and most diverse continents on Earth and everything it has to offer is in our backyard for a long weekend or a few weeks soaking up the sun,” chief executive Margy Osmond said.

“A summer getaway is just what the doctor ordered to recharge our collective batteries for 2016. Taking a break is good for the soul and good for the economy – we need to be encouraging more Australians to take a well-deserved break this summer and through New Year.”

Victorians were shown as the least likely to take a holiday with 56.5% prioritising work, with those from NSW were most likely to put their feet up with a still significant 48% saying they would work through the holidays.

For those with holidays on their mind, beach holidays were a popular option. 20% planned to head for the beach, with 21.4% opting for an overseas destination to get their fix of sun and sand.

But overall, there was a trend towards domestic holidaymaking as a result of the weakened dollar, with 28% opting for more holidays in Australia. An additional 9% had cancelled overseas travel plans in favour of a domestic break.

Although 18% of respondents still planned to head overseas, they had altered their travel plans to stay somewhere more affordable or had amended their budgets upwards of original projections.

But simple pleasures were top of mind for many.

“The lure of all that summer sport on the television means that nearly 13 per cent of respondents say they are happy to settle down on the sofa at home and binge on their favourite TV shows and the cricket,” Osmond revealed.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

christmas holidays margy osmond tourism trends ttf