Newsroom

May 21, 2008 | View PDF Version

Washington, DC (May 21, 2008) — While many people across this great nation get ready to celebrate the first weekend of summer, most people don’t have any plans to vacation this year. Based on the recent Expedia Vacation Deprivation™ survey, Americans not only receive the smallest amount of vacation time among their counterparts abroad, they often fail to use it. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) challenges the vacation-deprived among us take the first step to recovery and admit there is a problem.

“I’m dismayed but not surprised at these findings,” said Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO. “People need to realize that taking time to unwind is an important health benefit. Relieving stress, spending family time and re-energizing will pay dividends throughout the rest of the year.”

The second step in vacation deprivation recovery is to ensure that the vacation is the best possible experience it can be. ARDA member resorts provide spacious accommodations in stunning locations with all the comforts of home. A timeshare resort offers hassle-free second home vacations designed with the sole purpose of making the most of precious leisure time together.

Expedia found that despite reporting an average of 14 paid vacation days again this year, the same as 2007 and two more than in 2005, an estimated 47.5MM Americans will not use all of their vacation days. Again this year, employed U.S. adults will leave an average of three vacation days on the table, in essence giving back more than 460 million vacation days in 2008.

Everyone deserves not only a vacation, but a better vacation. For more information contact ARDA at www.arda.org.

The American Resort Development Association is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has over 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).