The Economy is Not Curtailing Vacation Plans, with Most Consumers Worldwide Planning to Spend as Much or More on Their Travels This Year than Last, According to New SSI Research

The Chinese and Singaporeans Are Most Likely to Increase Vacation Spend, While the French, British and South Koreans Look to Save (and Almost Everyone Wants to Travel)

SHELTON, Connecticut, August 5, 2010 - In spite of lingering economic fears, more than 60% of consumers around
the world are planning to spend as much or more on their vacations this year
as they did on their last getaways, according to new research with Survey
Sampling International's (SSI) global online panels. The Chinese and
Singaporeans are most likely to be increasing their vacation budgets, with
almost half of respondents in those countries anticipating spending more on
their upcoming vacations. In addition, about a third of New Zealanders and
Australians are investing more this year in their vacation plans. In
contrast, just 10% of American and Japanese consumers, 11% of French
consumers and 12% of German consumers plan to boost their vacation spend.

Although there appears to be widespread optimism around vacation
planning, there are many consumers who are actively cutting their vacation
budgets. Almost a third of French respondents and a quarter of UK and South
Korean participants say that they will spend less on their next vacations
than their last. Japan (23%), the US (22%) and Germany (20%) also have many
consumers looking to spend less on their upcoming trips than in the past.

"Despite economic concerns, the chance to get away remains important for
consumers around the globe-and they are finding ways to fit vacations into
their budgets," says Mark Hardy, Chief Strategy Officer/Managing Director,
Americas for SSI. "In fact, our research shows that more than three-quarters
of our respondents plan to stay overnight at destinations for their
vacations, rather than staying home. When we take money out of the equation,
almost 90% say they'd prefer traveling to staying home. Clearly, people
worldwide share the need for a change of scenery and an escape from their
daily routines-even when money is tight."

Consumers in Asia-Pacific seem to be particularly likely to travel during
their vacations, with about 90% of Chinese and Singaporeans and 85% of
Australians, South Koreans and New Zealanders planning overnight trips. The
Japanese seem to be the anomaly, with just 41% planning to leave home for
vacations. In Europe, the British (79%) and French (74%) are most likely to
travel on their holidays. Almost 70% of American consumers also are planning
to leave home for vacation.

SSI's findings are based on a study of 5,000+ adults on its online panels
planning to take vacations longer than four days. Countries covered include
the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, China, South Korea, New
Zealand and Singapore SSI offers extensive worldwide reach to support survey
research through SSI Dynamix(TM), its dynamic sampling platform that links to
its own online panels, as well as Web sites, social media, affiliate
partnerships and more.

Most Consumers Plan to Stay in Their Own Countries-and Look forward to
Relaxing

While respondents like to travel, more than half plan to do it within
their own countries. American and Japanese consumers are most likely to stay
within their own borders, with 82% of respondents in each country saying they
are more likely to travel domestically. A high percentage of South Korean
(80%), French (68%) and Australian (62%) consumers also plan to travel in
their own countries. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the majority of
Singaporeans (90%), Germans (60%), British (58%) and Chinese (53%) are
looking forward to international trips.

Whatever type of vacations consumers plan to take, the adjectives they
use most often to describe their ideal getaways are relaxing (48%), memorable
(39%), restful (29%), fun (27%), entertaining (24%) and interesting (23%).
Conversely, quiet (12%), adventurous (11%), long (8%) and productive (4%) are
not popular choices for describing the perfect vacation.

Americans and Japanese Most Likely to Skip Vacations

US (37%) and Japanese (33%) consumers are most likely to say they don't
take vacations that are longer than four days. About a quarter of Germans
also do not get away for at least four days at a time. The Chinese are least
likely to miss out on taking time off, with just 7% saying they don't take
vacations at least four days long.

About Survey Sampling International

Survey Sampling International (www.surveysampling.com) is the
premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. SSI reaches
respondents in 72 countries via Internet, telephone and mobile/wireless.
Client services include questionnaire design consultation, programming and
hosting, and data processing. SSI serves more than 2,000 clients, including
48 of the top 50 research organizations. Founded in 1977, SSI has 17 offices
in 15 countries.

Ilene Siegalovsky, Vice President, Global Marketing, +1-203-567-7230, ilene_siegalovsky at surveysampling.com