NS34 Session 8

 

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Title: Digital-detox tourism practices: theoretical approaches and managerial implications 

Organisers: Erose Sthapit and Peter Bjork 

Affiliation: Manchester Metropolitan University, HANKEN School of Economics

 

Description

Today, digital technologies have transformed how tourists plan, make decisions, engage on-site, and reminisce their tourism experiences. Mobile devices offer travelers continuous connectivity including high-speed internet access, which is embraced by many individuals during their vacations. This constant connectivity can also be seen as disruptive, potentially detracting from the enjoyment of a tourism experience. A growing number of travelers are expressing a desire to disconnect from their mobile devices while on holiday and tourism service providers are beginning to offer products and services that encourage a temporary disconnection from digital technologies - termed digital-detox experiences, wherein use of digital devices is either actively discouraged or entirely prohibited.  

Despite the growing body of studies on this topic, there is lack of theoretically grounded and critical studies on digital-detox practices in tourism, triggers and intended and unplanned outcomes whether individual, social or organisational including implications for tourists from subjective well-being to pro-environmental behaviour. From a managerial perspective, gaining an understanding of antecedents, outcomes and implications may allow service providers to effectively plan, design and execute digital-detox experiences that offer positive outcomes for tourists. From a broader perspective, new insights will contribute to both theoretical advancement and offer a holistic understanding of how digital-disconnection practices contribute to a better societal change and positive tourism impacts. 

This session invites empirical and conceptual contributions (conceptual papers, experiments, qualitative studies, critical theory) that contribute to a deeper understanding and critically analysing topics such as: 

  • Theoretical foundations, approaches to exploring digital-detox practices in tourism
  • Antecedents and outcomes of digital-detox experiences in tourism at individual, social or organisational level 
  • Supply side perspectives related to digital-detox practices in tourism
  • Experiential co-creation, service design and digital-detox practices in tourism
  • Societal benefits, positive impacts including trade-offs and tensions of digital-detox practices in tourism
  • Sustainable destination management and digital-detox practices in tourism