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31 March, 2016

Taking photos more important than making memories for holidaymakers

By Anne Majumdar

Australian families are taking more photos than ever before while on holiday, but reminiscing less about the actual trip, new research has revealed.

The Australian Holiday Memories report commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board showed that Aussie families are taking an average 77 snaps per day, but an obsession with social media means they are failing to live in the moment and are quickly forgetting the trip itself.

According to the study, two thirds of parents (67%) think that holiday-goers spend too much time staging photos and posting updates and images on social media, rather than living in the moment.

Meanwhile, one in four parents (25%) admitted they spend considerable time trying to create the ‘perfect holiday picture’ for social media. Years from now, children of Generation Y will remember their parents taking endless selfies and staging ‘perfect’ images, with two fifths of parents admitting this is a priority (39%).

Over half of Australian families are looking to Facebook and Instagram to easily collate their photos and use them to reminisce (57%). Mums (62%) are more likely than Dads (51%) to turn to social media for collating and future reflection. Four-fifths of Australian families (82%) are also keeping loved ones back home up-to-date with their holidays, by uploading posts, photos and updates to social media.

But with the rise of social media, fewer families are creating physical photo albums, and the images themselves are used less and less to help them reminisce about the trip.

Only half of families have physically printed a photo from a holiday in the last year (49%), whilst 35% have printed one in the last 1 to 5 years and nearly one in ten (8%) more than five years ago.

Although the majority of parents (86%) think that physical photo books and albums help families to happily reflect on their holidays, less than one third of parents (30%) have created a physical photo album within the past 12 months, 36% last created one within the past 1-5 years, 15% more than 5 years ago, 13% so long ago they can’t remember and 6% have never created one.

Why? Aussie parents claim social media has replaced the need (55%), they are too much effort (53%) and they just collect dust on the shelf (39%). Gen Y parents (32%) are more likely than Gen X (25%) and Baby Boomer parents (15%) to believe they are just too expensive.

Looking to the future, the report found that with the rapid changing pace of technology, photo capture and social media, Australian parents believe preserving holiday family memories in the future will entail 3D photographs (33%), wearable technology that takes photographs (30%) and holograms (19%).

Sharon Lam, Area Director Oceania, Singapore Tourism Board highlighted the importance of family holidays to share quality time and experiences with loved ones and urged Aussies to share the memories.

“The Australian Holiday Memories Report has shown that the feel-good holiday vibes don’t need to end once you’ve arrived home. Holiday memories are priceless, with a simple photograph transforming you to a happy place within seconds,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter how you choose to do it, whether it’s through discussing memories with family members, printing photos, creating an album or reflecting on past social media activity – sharing holiday memories brings families together.”

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photos sharon lam singapore tourism board social media stb technology