No Digital Detox For Irish Holidaymakers
5th June 2015
Are you planning on taking a holiday this year? Will you be able to put your phone down for a few hours and tune out?
Irish people like to stay connected even on holidays according to a new report by ecommerce partner Webloyalty. The report ‘Digital Destinations: how the web is shaping today’s holiday experience’, is published today and surveyed over 1,000 Irish people to examine their online holiday habits over the past two years.
This demand for continuous connectivity by Irish holidaymakers has given rise to the ‘app packer’ – the always-on traveller who wants to stay online no matter where they are in the world.
According to the report, 87% of people who have been on holidays in the last two years took at least one device with them. Two thirds (65%) packed their smartphone, a third (31%) took a tablet and 29% say they even took their laptop on holidays.
Given the number of devices being taken on holidays, it’s no surprise that free Wi-Fi is a top priority for Irish holidaymakers. Of those who had taken a holiday in the past two years, 65% say they rely on complimentary Wi-Fi at their accommodation and 56% say they availed of it at cafés and restaurants. Such is the need to stay connected, 16% say they bought extra data when away to ensure they were online and 10% had an international data deal with their mobile network provider.
While many holidaymakers pack more than one device, how we use each device differs. Smartphones are predominantly used to upload photos while on holidays (56%) or to keep in touch via communication apps such as WhatsApp and Viber (46%). Tablets are more likely to be used when planning excursions and activities (39%) while 20% are using restaurant finding apps on their tablets or reading restaurant reviews online (37%).
There are gender divides when it comes to downloading apps. Men are more likely to download map based apps – 58% compared to 48% of women, while women are more likely to download photo apps – 28% versus 24% of men.
Highlighting the need to be ‘always on’, the report finds that holidaymakers are more likely to upload pictures whilst on holiday (51%) than when they get home (47%). When back from holidays, holidaymakers tend to spend time reminiscing about their holidays with almost 1 in 4 (23%) posting a review on Tripadvisor and 1 in 5 looking at pictures of the destination they have visited.
