Almost Twice as Many People Prefer Relaxing Vacations to Active Ones, Shows GfK Survey

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NUREMBURG, Germany, Apr. 27 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

     - Internationally, 59 percent of people prefer a relaxing vacation, while

35 percent prefer an active one

     - Brazil, South Korea and Japan lead for favoring relaxing vacations;

Italy, France and Spain lead for active holidays

     - Teenagers are the most energetic, with 43 percent preferring active

vacations

    In a 17-country online survey

[http://www.gfk.com/global-studies/global-study-overview ] conducted by GfK,

well over half (59 percent) of people say they prefer a vacation "where I relax

and take it easy". This compares to just over a third (35 percent) who prefer

"an active vacation where I do or see lots of things". Only six percent are not

sure which type they prefer.

    Internationally, there is next to no difference between men and women in

these preferences. Men are potentially very slightly more lazy in their holiday

choice than women - standing at 60 percent of men prefering a relaxing

vacation, compared to 58 percent of women. But for active holidays, men and

women stand neck and neck at 35 percent each.

    Families with teenagers slightly more inclined to active holidays than

others

    The presence of children in the household appears to make only limited

difference to people's holiday preferences, compared to the international

average. For those with children under six years old in the household, or those

with children aged between six and twelve, just under two thirds (62 percent)

favor relaxing vacations and just over a third favor active ones.

    For people with teenagers in the household, relaxing holidays become

slightly less popular, falling to 57 percent, while active holidays rise to 39

percent.

    Teenagers most inclined to energetic vacations; those aged in their forties

are most inclined to lazy ones

    Internationally, the biggest differences we see are when it comes to age

groups. Teenagers are the most inclined to favor active holidays, with 43

percent selecting this and 51 percent preferring a relaxing holiday. The

preference for active vacations then drops steadily with each age band, ending

with those aged in their fifties, and those aged 60 or over, both standing at

just one third (33 percent) favoring active holidays.

    However, the age group with the highest percentage saying they prefer

relaxing holidays is not the oldest two age groups - it is those aged in their

forties, standing at 64 percent. Compare this to those aged 60 or over, where

57 percent say they favor relaxing vacations.

    Nearly half of Italians and French prefer active holidays, while over two

thirds of Brazilians and South Koreans want to relax

    Italy (45 percent), France (44 percent) and Spain (43 percent) lead in

having the highest percentage of their online population who prefer active

vacations where they do and see lots of things.

    In contrast, Brazil (71 percent), South Korea (66 percent) and Japan (also

66 percent) lead for having the highest percentages preferring a relaxing

vacation where they take it easy.

    Laurence Michael, global lead of travel and hospitality research at GfK,

comments, "The value of these findings for the travel industry lies in

combining this self-reported data with our travel insights, which are based on

live forward booking data from a growing number of sales points. With this

multi-layered approach, we understand what is being booked and by whom -

helping our clients to fine-tune their audience segmentation and identify

customer potential, both globally and at country-specific level."

    Download GfK's complimentary report showing full findings for each of the

17 countries: http://www.gfk.com/global-studies/global-study-overview

    For more information, please visit http://www.gfk.com or follow GfK:

https://twitter.com/GfK.

    SOURCE: GfK