After starting my career working at Mitsubishi Motors in Adelaide, where the Big Day Out was referred to as the Big Day Off, I’m well schooled in the art of the ‘sickie’. In the end the company actually made it an RDO, and closed the factory, rather than dealing with a completely absent workforce. It therefore comes as no surprise to me that a decent portion of employees extend their Easter long weekend with a sick day. New research has revealed that 21 per cent of Aussie employees admit to having called in sick to take a holiday or extend their holiday.
The findings come from a survey of a nationally representative, independent panel of 1000 Australian adults conducted by an independent research agency and commissioned by HotelsCombined (hotelscombined.com.au), ones of the world’s leading hotel price comparison platforms.
The survey results further reveal that Australia’s youngest workers opt to take sick days for holiday reasons, with 32 per cent of those in their 20s using sick days to extend or take holidays. This number drops consistently the older Aussie workers get: 26 per cent among those in their 30s, and 19 per cent of 40-somethings, compared with just 15 per cent of over-50s.
Results also highlight Northern Territory residents as the biggest offenders when it comes to using sick days to take or extend a holiday: 40 per cent admitted they have done this. ACT follows (29% of respondents), then SA (26%), Victoria (25%), NSW (20%), Queensland (19%), WA (18%), and then Tasmania (8%).
Bookings data from HotelsCombined reveals Aussie families will likely be visiting extended family over Easter, with Sydney and Melbourne CBD as the most popular Easter destinations.
The forecast is based on the volume of bookings by Aussie holidayers from Good Friday to Easter Monday last year through HotelsCombined, which attracted nearly five million bookings in 2016 alone.
Melbourne is living up to its name as the most liveable city, with bookings data showing that over Easter, more bookings are expected to be made in Melbourne CBD than any other local destination. Sydney CBD bookings follow, then Surfers Paradise, and then Brisbane CBD. Interestingly, Port Macquarie has become a rising destination and is the eighth most popular Easter getaway in Australia’s top 10.
Chris Rivett, Head of Marketing for HotelsCombined Australia and New Zealand says, “The data also indicates that Aussies prefer budget holidays within Australia – with 4-star hotels the most popular hotel type – but when they go overseas they are more willing to splash out. Our data shows 5-star hotels top the hotel booking list for international travel. This could be due to the frequency of local travel compared with overseas holidays. Travellers would have saved for months for an overseas trip and the 5-star hotel is part of the experience.”
Bookings data for overseas travel reveals that Bali is the number one international destination for Aussies over Easter – with Legian and Seminyak taking out the top two spots. New Zealand (specifically, Auckland CBD) comes in second, followed by Japan (Shinjuku), Hawaii, Las Vegas, and then Thailand (Patong, and Central Pattaya).
Chris says: “Most of these destinations have in common a flight time of 10 hours or less from Sydney, which is a little easier on our bodies when it comes to jet lag. Those taking a break here will likely take a couple more days off work to take into account the half day of travel.”
Top 10 domestic destinations over Easter:
|
Destination
|
Rank
|
|
Melbourne CBD
|
1
|
|
Sydney CBD
|
2
|
|
Surfers Paradise
|
3
|
|
Brisbane CBD
|
4
|
|
Southbank
|
5
|
|
Adelaide CBD
|
6
|
|
Perth CBD
|
7
|
|
Port Macquarie
|
8
|
|
Burswood
|
9
|
|
Broadbeach
|
10
|
Top 10 international destinations over Easter:
|
Country
|
Destination
|
Rank
|
|
Indonesia (Bali)
|
Legian
|
1
|
|
Indonesia (Bali)
|
Seminyak
|
2
|
|
New Zealand
|
Auckland CBD
|
3
|
|
Japan
|
Shinjuku
|
4
|
|
United States
|
Waikiki
|
5
|
|
United States
|
Las Vegas Strip
|
6
|
|
Indonesia (Bali)
|
Kuta
|
7
|
|
Thailand
|
Patong
|
8
|
|
Thailand
|
Central Pattaya
|
9
|
|
Japan
|
Shimogyo Ward
|
10
|
Top 5 domestic accommodation types over Easter:
|
Accommodation Type
|
Rank
|
|
Hotel
|
1
|
|
Motel
|
2
|
|
Serviced Apartment
|
3
|
|
Apartment
|
4
|
|
Resort
|
5
|
Top 5 international accommodation types over Easter:
|
Accommodation Type
|
Rank
|
|
Hotel
|
1
|
|
Resort
|
2
|
|
Serviced Apartment
|
3
|
|
Motel
|
4
|
|
Guest House
|
5
|
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