Nebraska Tourism encourages Americans to plan for vacation

LINCOLN, Neb. (January 30, 2018— As part of National Plan for Vacation on January 30, the Nebraska Tourism Commission is encouraging everyone to plan their 2018 vacations.  
 
Every year more than half of Americans (54%) fail to use all their time off, creating a stockpile of 662 million unused vacation days. In Nebraska, it’s even worse with 66% of employees leaving time unused and 4,971,831 days unused.
 
The most effective remedy for American workers who want to use more vacation days is better planning. Yet just over half (54%) of households set aside time to plan the use of their vacation time each year. National Plan for Vacation Day, launched by Project: Time Off, is a call-to-action for Americans to stop making excuses and start making vacation plans.
 
“Nebraska is celebrating National Plan for Vacation Day because it’s time for Americans to reclaim their vacation days,” said John Ricks, Nebraska Tourism executive director. “By planning, we can all reap the benefits of taking a break while giving yourself something to look forward to, like maybe a trip to or across our beautiful state.”
 
Research shows that planners have a distinct advantage over non-planners. Project: Time Off’s The State of American Vacation 2017 report found that planners use more of their time, take longer vacations, and are happier.

• 52 percent of planners took all of their vacation time vs. 40 percent of non-planners.
• 75 percent of planners were more likely to take a full week of vacation time or more at a time. Non-planners take significantly fewer days—zero to three—than planners at once (42% to 18%).
• More planners report they are “very” or “extremely” happy with their relationships (83% vs. 70%), health and well-being (57% vs. 48%), company (57% vs. 51%), and job (59% vs. 50%) compared to non-planners.

 
America’s unused vacation represents a missed economic opportunity. Americans 662 million unused vacation days presents a $236 billion economic opportunity—a $382,074,103 boost for the Nebraska economy.
 
“America’s vacation deprivation shortchanges the time we invest in our personal relationships, undermines our performance at work, and threatens our economic well-being,” said Katie Denis, chief of research and strategy for Project: Time Off. “In 2018, Americans need to plan for their bucket list, instead of the to-do list.”
 
National Plan for Vacation Day, celebrated on January 30, is a day to encourage Americans to plan their vacation days for the rest of the year at the start of the year.  Launched by the U.S. Travel Association’s Project: Time Off initiative in 2017, National Plan for Vacation Day provides an opportunity to come together at a single moment to rally around the importance of planning for a vacation. In its inaugural year, more than 600 organizations, representing all 50 states came together to encourage Americans to plan for vacation. Learn more at ProjectTimeOff.com/Plan and join the conversation online with #PlanForVacation.

For more information about travel, events and unique destinations in Nebraska, order your free travel guide today at VisitNebraska.com. Then stay connected with Nebraska Tourism on our Visit Nebraska Facebook page, on Twitter, on Pinterest, on Instagram and on YouTube.
 
The mission of the Nebraska Tourism Commission is to expand Nebraska’s dynamic and diverse travel industry making it more viable by creating awareness, attracting increased visitors which results in greater tourism revenue and economic gain throughout the state. To learn more, go to VisitNebraska.com.

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