Vacations have always been a welcomed source of rest and relaxation, yet a new survey reveals they are increasingly motivated by events of high "personal significance."
In a national survey of approximately 4,600 adults conducted by Ypartnership in June 2008, almost three-quarters (70 percent) revealed they have taken a vacation primarily to celebrate a special occasion. Adults less than 35 years of age (75 percent) were more likely to have taken such a vacation than adults over 55 years of age (69 percent).
"The motivations revealed in this fascinating piece of work suggest that vacations are increasingly viewed as an appropriate way to either recognize or reward the participants for some event of great significance in their lives," said Peter C. Yesawich, whose marketing services firm authored the survey. "As such, we call them 'Celebration Vacations'."
Most Significant Life Events
Survey respondents were asked to rate the "life events" of greatest personal significance then identify those they were most likely to celebrate by taking a special vacation. The life events for which a leisure trip is considered most appropriate include:
- A "milestone" anniversary - 78 percent;
- Honeymoon - 75 percent;
- Family reunion - 70 percent;
- First vacation with children - 67 percent;
- Wedding - 65 percent;
- Joining of families/family honeymoon - 63 percent;
- A "milestone" birthday - 59 percent;
- Anniversary - 57 percent;
- Retirement - 55 percent;
- School or College Reunion - 54 percent;
- Quinceaneras - 54 percent;
- School Graduation - 51 percent;
- Bar/Bat Mitzvah - 50 percent.
By comparison, 28 percent mentioned "recovery from a personal illness," 26 percent cited "a promotion" and 23 percent mentioned "scholastic achievement." And leisure travelers with children in the household were more likely than those without children to agree that "rewarding performance" is an appropriate reason for taking a vacation.
The Anatomy of Celebration Vacations
Celebration Vacations are most likely to be planned around and include the special event being celebrated: two thirds (68 percent) of respondents who took such a vacation stated the event they celebrated actually took place during the vacation. Given their apparent significance, it's not surprising to note that one out of five (18 percent) leisure travelers stated, compared to "typical vacations," their Celebration Vacations included more people in the traveling party. One out of five (20 percent) said their length of stay was longer; one out of four (25 percent) planned the vacations much further in advance, and fully four out of ten (40 percent) spent more on such vacations.
Their motivations for taking such vacations were a direct result of a desire to spend more "family time" on vacation: approximately three-fourths did so to reconnect with family (77 percent), a comparable percentage did so to mark a special moment for someone (76 percent) or create a special memory for someone (75 percent).
Asked how influential specific vacation attributes were when selecting a destination for a family-oriented Celebration Vacation, more than eight in ten leisure travelers mentioned the following:
- Activities that adults and children can experience together;
- Cost of getting there;
- Variety of activities for everyone in the vacation party;
- Cost of staying there;
- Activities available for the kids.
Celebration Vacations with Children
When asked about the destinations they would most like to visit with children on a Celebration Vacation, respondents cited the Disney theme parks (40 percent combined), Hawaii (18 percent), Florida other than Walt Disney World (13 percent), Europe (13 percent) and the Caribbean (12 percent). Interestingly, respondents without children in their household mentioned Walt Disney World as the preferred destination for a Celebration Vacation with a comparable frequency to those with children (33 percent versus 27 percent respectively). The same was true among respondents over 55 years of age versus those between 21 and 34 years of age (34 percent versus 29 percent respectively).
When asked about the activities in which they were most likely to participate on a Celebration Vacation that included children respondents cited, among other things, "enjoy a special meal" (54 percent), "buy souvenirs" and "do more photography/video" (43 percent), stay in nicer accommodations (31 percent), "dine in fancier restaurants" (25 percent) and "travel farther" (21 percent).
The data for this survey were obtained during the month of June 2008 in an online poll of 4,596 adults. The results are representative of all U.S. adults who are active travelers (took at least one overnight trip during the previous 12 months). All estimates are subject to an error interval of +/-1.8 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.
Life Event for Which Very/Extremely Likely to Travel
Total percent
n=3,910
Birthdays
Your Milestone Birthday (30, 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100) - 59 percent
Romance
Milestone Anniversary - 1st, 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, 50th, 75th - 78 percent Honeymoon - 75 percent Wedding - 65 percent Joining of Families/Familymoon - 63 percent Anniversary - 57 percent
Professional
Retirement - 55 percent
Promotion - 26 percent
Family
Reunion - 70 percent
First Vacation with Children - 67 percent
Cultural/Coming of AgeQuinceaneras - 54 percent
Bar/Bat Mitzvah - 50 percent
Accomplishments
Your High-School, College or Graduate School Reunion - 54 percent School Graduation - 51 percent Scholastic Achievement - 23 percent
Health/Wellness
Recovery from Personal Illness - 28 percent
Reasons for Taking an Overnight Trip to Celebrate a Special Occasion
Total percent
(n=4596)
To reconnect with family - 77 percent
To mark a special moment for someone - 76 percent To create a special memory for someone - 75 percent To reconnect with friends - 58 percent To recognize personal achievement - 41 percent To reward performance - 38 percent
Top Destinations to Visit with Children on a Celebration Vacation (Unaided)
Total percent
(n=4596)
Disney World/Disneyland - 40 percent
Hawaii - 18 percent
Florida (Other) - 13 percent
Europe - 13 percent
Caribbean - 12 percent
Cruise - 9 percent
Beach/beach resort - 8 percent
California (Other) - 8 percent
New York - 8 percent
Orlando - 7 percent
Mexico - 6 percent
Disney (unspecified) - 6 percent
Arizona - 5 percent
Las Vegas - 5 percent
Niagara Falls - 1 percent
Los Angeles - 1 percent
Massachusetts - 1 percent
Activities Likely to do on a Special Occasion Vacation with Children
Total percent*
(n=4596)
Enjoy a special meal - 54 percent
Buy souvenirs - 43 percent
Do more photography/video - 43 percent
Seek out more memorable opportunities - 41 percent Plan activities/games - 40 percent Sing a celebration song (e.g. happy birthday) - 36 percent Seek out more variety/unique experiences - 36 percent Arrange for a surprise - 33 percent Order special desserts - 31 percent Stay in nicer accommodations - 31 percent Eat in fancier restaurants - 25 percent Travel farther – 21 percent
* Does not equal 100 percent due to multiple responses.
Ypartnership is America's leading marketing, advertising and public relations agency serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients and coauthor of the widely acclaimed National Travel MONITORsm with Yankelovich, Inc. Headquartered in Orlando, the agency maintains additional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Vancouver, Mexico City and London. Visit www.ypartnership.com
