Bangkok--28 Oct--GraylingThailand
Within days of coming back from a holiday, the souvenirs brought back for friends and family are likely to be thrown in the rubbish bin, according to the, according to the latest survey by leading travel search site Skyscanner.
Buying a gift for those back home may seem a nice gesture while away, but holidaymakers would be better to save their money as more than 65% of people admit that they really don’t appreciate those holiday souvenirs and 34% have to find the ways to get rid of unwanted gifts either thrown them away, gave them to charity, or passed them to someone else.
In a survey of 1000 people, key-rings (17%) ranked top as the most disappointing gift to receive, with fake DVDs (12%) and fridge-magnets (10%) following closely. Food items (7%), though souvenir classic, also fail to impress, while cheap jewellery (5%) and airline branded items (5%) were equally as disheartening.
What happens to the gifts won’t make happy reading either, with results revealing that only 8% of people find their gifted souvenirs any use. 10% of holiday gifts are donated to charity, while another 10% are passed to someone else. While 2% have gone to the lengths of ‘accidentally’ breaking their gift so that they don’t have to keep it and 1% has refused a gift point-blank.
“Many Thai people who travel overseas think about bringing souvenirs home to family, friends and work colleagues. But surprisingly, our survey shows that many people admitted that they have received unwanted gifts from their family and close friends, despite being the people who know them best.”
“Yet these unwanted holiday presents don’t come cheap. Next time we buy something for people at home please think more carefully about what to buy,” said Grace Pobprapha Areerat, Skyscanner’s Country Marketing Manager for Thailand.
Top 10 most unwanted holiday gifts:
1. Key-ring
2. Fake DVD
3. Magnet
4. Food item
5. Cheap jewellery
6. Airline branded toy
7. Comedy t-shirt
8. Local drink
9. Doll
10. Snow globe