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  

 

Abstracts

Title: FOMO and Digital Detox in Tourism: Contrasting Appeals and Emerging Consumer Behaviours
Author: Yuhanis Aziz, College of Business & Administration, University of Sharjah

This study investigates the dualistic psychological forces of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Digital Detox (DD) and their influence on traveller behaviour in the digital era, as well as how tourism marketers manage these opposing forces in developing promotional messages. The study’s focus on these competing motivations indicates their wider importance: they influence not only individual travel decisions but also the growing market demand for both hyper-connected and digitally minimalist tourism offerings. Understanding this tension provides valuable insights for tourism marketing, destination management and the design of well-being-oriented travel products. Data will be collected online via surveys and semi-structured interviews with travellers aged 18-45 in the UAE to understand behavioural tendencies, emotional responses and perceptions of digital engagement during travel. The analysis draws on theories of self‑regulation, cognitive load, social comparison, and loss aversion to explain how FOMO and DD shape decision‑making. Early conceptual insights suggest that FOMO fuels socially visible, trend‑driven travel behaviour, while DD reflects a desire for restoration, reduced cognitive overload, and healthier digital habits. Together, these forces create a psychological push‑pull mechanism that influences how travellers interpret tourism messages and evaluate experiences. The study offers practical implications for developing ethical, culturally sensitive, and wellness‑focused marketing strategies that balance digital engagement with traveller well‑being. Its originality lies in reframing FOMO and DD as underlying consumer psychological dynamics rather than marketing tactics, providing an empirically grounded understanding of their influence on travel behaviour in an increasingly digital environment.

 

Title: Disconnected Bliss: Evaluating the Travel Satisfaction of Digital Detox Holiday Tourists (DDHT)
Author: Krishma Rana, Central University of Jammu

In the contemporary digital era, excessive use of technology is associated with various physical, mental, and social challenges. In response, an increasing number of individuals are engaging in digital detox holidays, during which they intentionally disconnect from digital devices. This study employs quantitative research, utilising purposive sampling to survey 315 participants who have undertaken digital detox holidays. The primary objective is to examine the influence of digital detox holiday (DDH) motives on travel satisfaction and subsequent tourist loyalty. The results demonstrate that motives such as mindfulness, novelty, self-expression, and escapism significantly enhance both travel satisfaction and tourist loyalty among digital detox tourists. This research highlights an emerging and underexplored phenomenon in tourism and hospitality. The findings offer practical implications for policymakers and service providers, suggesting that hotels and resorts can strategically position themselves as digital detox retreats by offering targeted digital detox programs. These insights contribute to a better understanding of the needs and preferences of digital detox tourists, enabling the development of more tailored and effective services.

Keywords: Digital detox, Travel satisfaction, Tourist loyalty, Technostress

 

Title: Digital Detox Tourism in Finland – A Status Review
Author: Peter Björk, Hanken School of Economics

Digital detox, unplug travel or analogized tourism are emerging forms of travel that encourage visitors to disconnect from digital devices and reconnect with nature, themselves, and their surroundings. The development of digital detox tourism requires careful planning to ensure the concept is authentic and not misused in marketing. True digital detox experiences should provide meaningful opportunities for visitors to reduce screen time, engage with nature, and participate in mindful activities such as hiking, sauna culture, forest bathing, socialization and quiet reflection. Simply labeling accommodations or destinations as “digital detox” without providing supportive environments or activities risks weakening the credibility of the concept.

The aim of this paper is to describe the status of digital detox tourism in Finland from a supply and marketing perspective answering two research questions, how many tourism companies in Finland promote this type of tourism and how do they frame digital detox tourism. Data for this study was collected in a two-step process. Destination marketing organizations in Finland were contacted and asked to list companies offering digital detox tourism or corresponding tourism forms. The identified companies were analyzed using a content analysis of their websites. Findings reveal that digital detox tourism in Finland remains very limited. Although DMOs recommended numerous nature-based operators, only four companies explicitly offer digital detox or silence retreats with clear phone-disconnection requirements. These providers frame their offerings around complete digital disconnection, silence, and nature reconnection through meditation, yoga, sauna, and forest immersion, whereas the majority of recommended experiences lack any digital detox component.