Feeling Under-Vacationed? So Do More than 11 Million Philadelphians

New study shows 54 percent of Americans did NOT use all their vacation time in 2016.

PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 15, 2017) Project: Time Off, an initiative of the U.S. Travel Association that encourages American workers to take their unused vacation time, released a new research report today, “Under-Vacationed America: An Analysis of the States and Cities that Need to Take a Day.” AAA is a travel industry coalition partner of Project: Time Off.

Key findings from the Under-Vacationed America report include:

• Fifty-four percent of Americans did not use all their vacation time in 2016, leaving a collective 662 million vacation days on the table.

• If Americans were to use that time, it would generate $128 billion in direct spending – an overall economic impact of $236 billion.

• Americans ARE taking more vacation days. Last year, vacation usage rose to an average of 16.8 days, the second year of growth after bottoming out in 2014 at 16.0 days.

“While many vacation days appear to fall victim to the 24/7 work culture in the U.S., AAA reported earlier this year that 70 percent of families are planning to take one or two vacations this year, a 13 percent jump over 2016,” said Jana L. Tidwell, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Families continue to see the value of traveling as a way to bond and reconnect in today’s busy world.”

Philadelphia’s Unused Vacation Time

Fifty-one percent of Philadelphia residents had unused vacation days in 2016. That’s a total of 11,124,061 unused vacation days. The untapped economic benefit is noted at $1.3 billion.

Pennsylvania’s Unused Vacation Time

Pennsylvania ranks 44^th among states with unused vacation time. Forty-five percent of Pennsylvanians’ vacation time was unused in 2016, for a total of 23.3 million unused vacation days. The direct spending potential of unused days totals $3.8 billion.

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AAA provides automotive, travel and insurance services to 57 million members nationwide and more than three million members in Pennsylvania.  AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.  The not-for-profit, fully tax-paying member organization works on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android.  For more information, visit www.AAA.com.