A new Hotels.com study shows that travellers spend more time staring at their smartphone screens than enjoying the sun or the sights.
The study, based on 9,200 respondents in 31 countries, reveals that Thais are the most addicted to social media while travelling or on holiday.
Thais spend an average of two hours a day relaxing in the sun, compared with almost four hours staring at their mobile devices.
That is the longest amount of time of the top nine countries in the poll commissioned by Hotels.com in May.
Trailing behind was India at 3.3 hours, Malaysia at 3.2 and China at 3.1.
Remarkably, some 10% of travellers around the world will spend more than seven hours a day with their smartphone in their hands.
Dan Craig, senior director for mobile at Hotels.com, said millennial travellers in particular spend more time looking at their screens than enjoying the sun or the sights.
But he noted that most travellers are actually using their device to search for local restaurants, to help them get around and stay connected with the rest of the world.
Only 68% of people might have admitted to uploading photos to social media to make friends jealous and they have definitely Instagrammed a holiday selfie to show off, Mr Craig said.
"For travellers the mobile effect begins with bookings, as 67% of Thai respondents have booked a hotel on a mobile device," he said "It's therefore no surprise that today's modern tourists are so reliant on their smartphones, and as technology advances they are becoming an indispensable travel companion."
