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80% Say They Prefer Experiences over Physical Gifts This Holiday Season

When asked to choose 83% of Americans selected a spa day over luxury fragrance, 81% opted for concert tickets over an iTunes gift card, 78% picked a weekend getaway over Hotel Collection 800 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets and 72% chose a ...

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With the holiday shopping season in full swing, a new survey from Travelzoo shows that 80% of Americans prefer to receive an experience versus a physical gift. Spa days, concert tickets, weekend getaways and romantic dinners ranked highly over comparable physical gifts.

When asked to choose 83% of Americans selected a spa day over luxury fragrance, 81% opted for concert tickets over an iTunes gift card, 78% picked a weekend getaway over Hotel Collection 800 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Sheets and 72% chose a romantic dinner over a Cuisinart Mixer.

“It’s clear from the survey that Americans place a higher value on experiences than physical goods,” said Gabe Saglie, senior editor for Travelzoo. “It makes sense – experiences are fun, bring people together and are rarely forgotten. Plus, you don’t have to wrap them!”

To help Americans find the perfect gift, Travelzoo’s editors have compiled a list of experiences from more than 200 companies including Disney Live, JW Marriott spas and Zagat-rated restaurants.