A study released by international calling services VIP Communications has revealed that Valentine’s Day is the 5th highest calling holiday in the year for expats with calls during the period rising by 9% compared with normal days.
In the 2011 Valentine’s Day Holiday Calling Report the international calling company reveal interesting insights into the calling patterns of 40,000 expatriates living in over 100 countries throughout the world.
Key findings include:
- Christmas day is the most popular calling holiday with the average call volumes increasing by 55% on this day. This is followed by New Year’s (37 percent), Mother’s Day (33 percent) and Father’s Day (14 percent).
- Italian expats may be the most romantic, with the company observing a 144% in calls from abroad to this country.
- Europeans, however, also feel the love, with calls to France increasing by 127% and calls to Spain increasing by 116%.
- Not everyone is wooed by the romance of Valentine’s Day. The study found that Korea, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria constituted the bottom three when it came to increase in call volume during Valentine’s Day. In fact, among each of these three countries, the average daily call volume actually decreased by 41 percent on Valentine’s Day.
- African countries dominated the list of those who called home most frequently during Mother’s Day. Expats from Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon were most likely to call home to wish their mothers well with these three countries demonstrating an 86.3% increase in call volume on this day.
How did you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? We’d love to hear how expatriates throughout the world celebrated Valentine’s Day in their adoptive homes.
