This Generation Of The UAE Feels Most Vacation Deprived, New Study Reveals
A new study reveals that 50% of UAE Millennial residents experience vacation deprivation, a higher percentage than the 35% of Gen Zers. The 24th Vacation Deprivation report by Expedia also indicates that over half of Millennials surveyed are full-time employees, while Gen Zers globally are more vacation deprived than any other generation.
Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group brands public relations, says that despite receiving and using over six weeks of annual leave, UAE residents still feel vacation deprived.
Millennial workers struggle with planning vacations, as 57% feel overwhelmed by the process and find booking stressful due to uncertainty about getting a good deal. The abundance of choices can become a significant mental burden. While UAE Millennials take time off less frequently, more than half of Gen X workers (33%) go six months or more between holidays. Only 5% of Millennials allow themselves a break from work every month.
For Gen Z, the youngest workforce, the biggest obstacle is saving for a big trip this year. Money-consciousness is not exclusive to any particular generation, but it's most prevalent in Gen X with 34% saying they prefer saving their money for a more fulfilling trip, compared to just 29% of Millennials and 27% of Gen Zers.
Global Data
International vacation deprivation has remained the same in 2023, with approximately two-thirds of employed professionals feeling somewhat or very vacation deprived. For UAE's Millennials, 50% feel holiday deprived according to Expedia's report. It is perhaps not surprising given that 32% went a full year without a holiday last year.
Millennial women feel slightly more vacation deprived than men (58% versus 57%). The top reasons for Millennials of both genders for not going on holiday include saving for a bigger vacation this year (29%), saving time off for unexpected leave (27%), and difficulties balancing work schedules or workloads due to staffing shortages (26%).
Most Millennials spend their holidays at international travel destinations (52%). However, their ideal annual trips would consist of two long weekends, four one-week-long holidays, and two 14-day holidays per year.
Eager for a Four-Day Work Week
On average, Millennial employees living in the UAE receive 25.5 holiday days from their employer and used between 21 and 30 days in 2023. Those with unlimited leave used 30 days. In 2024, Millennials plan on taking the same amount of holidays as they did in 2023, and the nation's employers are encouraging it. Expedia's report showed that between 80% and 81% of Millennial and Gen Z workers respectively feel their employer is supportive of them taking holidays.
Over 40% of Gen Zers favour moving to a four-day week primarily to have more personal time for appointments, managing household tasks and projects; a quarter say they'd use that extra time to travel.
Why Holidays Are the Ultimate Mood Booster
As expected, almost two-thirds (64%) of UAE Millennials feel their mood improves when they are on holiday. Interestingly, over 44% see their mood improve when they book the trip and even planning it boosts their mood (35%).
For Millennials, the holiday feeling is about spending quality time with loved ones (61%), resting and relaxing (60%), and freeing themselves from daily responsibilities (31%). Almost 71% believe holidays are good for health and wellbeing; they consider it a deserved basic right and always return feeling less anxious.
Holiday Habits From Around the World
With most UAE Millennials experiencing vacation deprivation and leaving days behind, there are lessons to be learned from other countries. Germans have become 14% more holiday deprived versus last year; Japanese are now10% more deprived. Conversely, Mexicans and Australians feel13% and8% less deprived respectively.
Some interesting data includes Japan being the least vacation-deprived country globally; Japanese respondents are seven times more likely to take monthly trips compared to other countries despite only taking11 days annually. They take advantage of public holidays or office closures to schedule frequent short getaways without dipping into precious holiday allocation.
In contrast, France took the most days off globally; Brits didn't use all their time off in2023 leaving two days behind with almost one in five saving up for one big trip instead. French respondents tend to shy away from "big trips," with nearly a third opting to spread their days off evenly throughout the year instead.
Hong Kong is the only market not leaving any annual leave days behind; in 2023 they took two days more than their allocation with15% vowing to do it again in2024—the highest globally.
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