Quick escape ... Bali is proving a popular escape for Aussies taking a four-day break for Australia Day. Pic: iStock
CALLS for Aussies to take the day off on Monday in order to turn the Australia Day holiday into a long weekend getaway have angered employers.
The Tourism and Transport Forum has urged Australians to dip into their annual leave to create a four-day weekend and “recharge their batteries” for the year ahead.
Research released by travel site Wotif.com shows many Aussies are doing just that — with bookings over the January 22 to 26 period booming.
Get back to work ... Employers fear workers will take a sickie on Monday in order to have a four-day weekend. Pic: News Corp AustraliaSource:News Limited
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Kate Carnell said they did not begrudge people a legitimate leave day, but feared many workers would simply call in sick on Monday.
“This could have a very large impact on the economy if it’s not well managed,” said Ms Carnell.
“(Taking Monday off) should be part of your holidays or should be planned. It’s the unplanned ones or “sickies” that kill business and impact on the economy.”
The cost of Australia Day “sickies” is expected to cost the Queensland economy alone more than $100 million, the Courier Mail reports.
Ms Carnell said businesses needed to plan for days when they did not have a full contingent of staff.
“From a business perspective, Monday is a normal business day. They’ve got to open their businesses and they need people to be able to do that,” she said.
“The impact of lots of people just taking the day off, an unplanned day, is huge.”
Hot ... Melbourne is the top city to visit, for those taking a four-day break for Australia Day. Pic: Thinkstock.Source:Supplied
TTF CEO Margy Osmond said Roy Morgan Research revealed Australians were sitting on 123.5 million days of unused leave — or 15 days a person.
“There is nothing more Australian than taking a summer holiday and yet many of us have been hoarding our time off work,” said Ms Osmond.
“There is still time to take a much-needed break to recharge the batteries before 2016 really kicks in and we’ve got to get back to the grindstone for another year.”
The Wotif.com research revealed Surfers Paradise to be the number one pick for the Australia Day holiday, and Melbourne was the top city to visit for the four day period.
Beach lure ... The Australian coast could prove too appealing to pass up on Monday. Pic: Queensland TourismSource:Supplied
Chief executive of Tourism Victoria, Nick Foa said Melbourne’s popularity was not surprising.
“Melbourne is not only the sporting capital of Australia, but a major retail, food and wine and cultural hub for visitors from out of town and overseas,” said Mr Foa.
“Melbourne has a bit of everything to suit everyone’s taste.”
Other coastal destinations like Noosa, Broadbeach, Caloundra and Port Macquarie were also getting a lot of interest from people seeking to have an extended weekend.
Wotif.com travel specialist Kim Stockham said they were even seeing demand for overseas “hot spots” including Bali, Phuket, Auckland and Fiji.
“Plenty of Aussies have taken advantage of the Australia Day break and booked an overseas escape to Bali or Phuket,” said Ms Stockham.
“Like them I’ll be celebrating all the great things about home from Bali on Australia Day.”
After Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra were the most popular cities to travel to, but deals remained available for all the capitals.
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