Two in Three Travellers in Southeast Asia Admit to Working on Holiday

Results from TripAdvisor's working-on-vacation survey of 16,765 employed respondents across 14 countries, including 618 in Southeast Asia, show that 67% of respondents surveyed in Southeast Asia report having worked on vacation in the past year, compared to the global average of 46%.

55% of respondents in Southeast Asia say they do not mind doing a little work during their vacation, while 36% prefer to be totally disconnected, and 8% enjoy being connected to work while on vacation.

Across all countries surveyed, the top reason respondents cited for working on vacation is that there may be urgent situations that need attention – 75% of Southeast Asian respondents report feeling this way, higher than the global average of 58%.

Southeast Asian respondents are the most likely to report feeling guilty if they do not work on vacation (19%), and also the most likely to say that their managers expect it (15%).

Top Work Activities Respondents Typically Do While on Vacation

Activity - Southeast Asia - Global Average
Check emails - 90% - 67%
Respond to emails - 81% - 58%
Create / edit documents - 43% - 28%
Create / edit presentations - 22% - 11%
Participate in conference calls - 16% - 9%

90% of Southeast Asian respondents typically check their work emails while on vacation, and of those who check work emails on vacation, 44% say it is an everyday habit and do not consider it to be "work". 41% check their work email once a day, while another 41% admit to checking several times a day. 46% of respondents say the rise in internet connectivity and access to mobile devices has created an expectation from employers that employees should always be available to work, thus feeling the need to check in while out of the office.

On average, respondents in Southeast Asia are allotted twenty days of annual leave, four days less than the global average of 24 days. Only 53% of Southeast Asian respondents are satisfied with the number of days of annual leave allotted, compared with the global average of 68%. Southeast Asian respondents would like an additional three days of annual leave, considering 23 days to be fair and reasonable.

59% of Southeast Asian respondents plan on taking their full annual leave this year, but whether they eventually do so still depend on work commitments. 56% of all respondents surveyed feel they were not able to take all their time-off in past years as there was too much to do at work. 69% of respondents in Southeast Asia say their vacations leave them feeling refreshed and recharged, and 29% say they are better able to handle work stress after taking a vacation.

"The TripAdvisor survey shows that travellers in Southeast Asia receive less annual leave than other Western countries, and when they do take time-off it is often more like a 'workation' than a vacation," said Jean Ow-Yeong, TripAdvisor spokesperson. "In today's highly connected world, Southeast Asian travellers feel the need to stay plugged in even when on vacation."