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The Happiness Factor in Tourism: Subjective Well-Being and Social Tourism
Abstract
New research is emerging on the relationships between tourism and quality of life (QOL) and subjective well-being (SWB). This paper develops a measure of SWB and reports findings from a two-step survey that measured changes in well-being amongst low-income individuals who had received financial support to access a holiday break (‘social tourists’). This is the first study to assess well-being amongst social tourists. The findings indicate that tourism contributes to social tourist’s well-being. There are greater effects in some areas including psychological resources, leisure and family life domains contributing to social well-being. Social tourists have lower levels of SWB than the general population. Further studies are needed to compare tourism’s contribution to SWB amongst mainstream tourists.
... In recent decades, tourism research has increasingly concentrated on well-being (Smith & Diekmann, 2017). An expanding corpus of literature indicates that tourism and leisure activities substantially enhance quality of life (McCabe & Johnson, 2013). Western nations are educated, industrialized, prosperous, and highly developed democratic societies, typically distinguished by a focus on individual accomplishment, self-esteem, and personal liberty. ...
Analyzing the overall trend of changes in the well-being of Chinese tourists and its relationship with societal transformations is essential for understanding the psychological shifts of these tourists. This study utilizes cross-temporal meta-analysis and a time-lagged approach to examine 56 studies employing the General Well-Being Scale as the principal tool for evaluating the well-being of Chinese tourists from 2011 to 2022, with the objective of ascertaining whether trends in well-being levels among Chinese tourists and their macro-social indicators clarify discrepancies in tourists’ well-being. The results demonstrate a strong positive link between the well-being of Chinese tourists and the year, signifying an annual increase. The well-being of Chinese tourists is markedly positively associated with economic conditions (per capita income and consumption levels) and social connectedness (urbanization rate, employment rate, and life expectancy); these five social indicators are essential determinants of its variations. This study contributes by elucidating the trend of well-being among Chinese tourists at the group level and confirming that five categories of social variables significantly influence their well-being. It can aid destinations in enhancing relevant social and economic policies, inventing tourism products, and accelerating the development of the tourism industry, thereby substantially boosting the well-being of Chinese tourists.
... This can include engaging games, interactive workshops, and even kid-friendly zones with supervision. According to McCabe and Johnson (2013), family-friendly events contribute to higher attendee satisfaction and loyalty by allowing participants to balance professional commitments with family responsibilities. Moreover, such events can enhance organisational reputation and attract a diverse range of attendees, including professionals with caregiving responsibilities. ...
Business events play an essential role in sharing knowledge and professional practices. The organisation of such events has seen a shift in client demand and focus in the past years with family-friendliness as one of the key market trends. The main research question of the present study is: Can a family-friendliness approach be implemented by event organisers in the planning and management phases of business events in Hungary? 20 in-depth expert interviews were conducted with event organisers and representatives of event venues. Based on the research results, the market of family-friendly events still has a lot to evolve. We investigate the corporate levels of family-friendly business events and the related B2B business opportunities and explore the possible catalysts to the development of the niche market. The empirical findings of this research contribute to the academic discourse of the business events market and the managerial implications are of practical use.
... us, it is crucial to undertake awareness-raising actions, training, and education to reduce stigma against individuals with intellectual disabilities, cultivate empathy, and enable quality participation in tourism activities(McIntosh, 2020).e participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities in tourism activities can yield various positive outcomes at both intrapersonal and interpersonal levels, such as psychological and physical health benefits, personal development, and social inclusion(Innes et al., 2016), thereby enhancing the quality of life and satisfaction of individuals with this type of disability(McCabe & Johnson, 2013). ...
This article investigates the involvement of individuals with intellectual disabilities in tourism activities, focusing on inclusive dynamics to ensure effective participation. Despite the extensive literature on accessible tourism for physical disabilities, there is a notable gap regarding intellectual disabilities. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing barriers and facilitators of participation for individuals with intellectual disabilities, aligning with human rights principles to promote accessible tourism for all. The research utilizes a qualitative method, examining six national and six European best practices (from Spain, France, and Italy) in tourism activities. The findings highlight the predominant use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) techniques alongside sensory and therapeutic experiences, specifically pictograms. Notably, museums exhibit a higher adoption of inclusive strategies. The study underscores the importance of Universal Design and the need for awareness, training, and education for tourism professionals to enhance communication and attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities. Although varied, the analysis concludes that inclusive practices demonstrate the potential for improved and satisfactory tourism experiences for individuals with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing a multifaceted approach to effective inclusion.
Keywords: Intellectual Disability; Accessible and Inclusive Tourism; Tourism Activities
... Family travel forms part of the universal right to tourism as enshrined in the Global Codes of Ethics for Tourism (United Nations World Tourism Organization [UNWTO], 2001), which in Article 7 includes social tourism and family tourism as needing to be encouraged and facilitated. The social tourism movement (see, e.g., McCabe and Johnson, 2013) underlines the important role of family holidays in strengthening family bonds, increasing social connections and contributing to subjective well-being under conditions of poverty, disability and other challenges. Taking a social advocacy role and reimagining tourism post-COVID-19 could include making tourism more accessible for all (Schänzel, 2021), and no longer excluding socially and economically disadvantaged families from the obvious social benefits of travel. ...
... The effects are more pronounced before and during the trip but brief after the tourism experience [18]. Causes may include the interruption of work and daily life, changes in routine, and the generation of relaxation [19]. It is important to note that the effects of tourist activities on well-being may be overestimated. ...
... Hernandez-Maskivker et al. (2018) focus on the managerial perspective of the impact of volunteer tourism on local communities. McCabe and Johnson (2013) emphasize that successful integration of volunteer projects requires cooperation with local authorities and businesses. In the Ukrainian context, especially in a crisis situation, it is important that charitable tourism projects not only provide immediate assistance but also support the long-term social and economic recovery of affected regions through the participation of local residents. ...
In the context of armed conflicts, regions often face infrastructure destruction and economic difficulties. The development of tourism can be a key factor in recovery and economic growth. Geospatial platforms for interactive charitable tourism offer a promising solution for attracting tourists and stimulating the development of affected regions. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of geospatial platforms for interactive charitable tourism as a tool for attracting tourists and promoting the recovery and development of regions affected by armed conflicts. The study employed regression and correlation analysis methods. The analysis revealed significant positive correlations for all variables. The correlation coefficient for audience reach was 0.75, for the effectiveness of attracting donations - 0.8, for the economic impact on the region - 0.9, for user interaction with the platform - 0.85, for platform sustainability - 0.78, and for social impact - 0.92. The t-statistic values exceeded the critical thresholds, and the p-values were below 0.05, confirming the statistical significance of the results. The coefficient of determination was 0.91, indicating a high explanatory power of the model. For the four obtained clusters, approaches to the development and use of geospatial platforms were justified. For regions of cluster 1 with high audience reach (0.75) and moderate effectiveness of attracting donations (0.8), it is recommended to use technologies to improve connectivity and effectively promote their strengths. For regions of cluster 2 with high sustainability and high tourism potential (high social impact = 0.92), it is necessary to include advanced geospatial solutions to increase visitor engagement and optimize recovery strategies, building on existing strengths to attract more tourists and stimulate sustainable development. For regions of cluster 3, significant investments are required both in geospatial platforms and in tourism infrastructure to benefit from high tourism potential (economic impact on the region = 0.9). Strategic development and targeted marketing should be a priority to attract tourists and stimulate economic growth. For regions of cluster 4 with low sustainability and tourism potential (low user interaction with the platform = 0.85 and platform sustainability = 0.78) require comprehensive support, as they are in a crisis situation.
... These risks are critical to consider when designing geospatial platforms to ensure that charitable tourism initiatives promote sustainable, long-term positive outcomes for Ukrainian communities. Effective governance is essential in voluntourism, and collaboration with local government and business is considered by McCabe S., Johnson S. and others to be a key factor in success [12,13]. This collaboration is vital in Ukraine, where charitable tourism projects should aim not only to provide immediate support but also to contribute to the socio-economic recovery of regions affected by war. ...
In the context of armed conflicts, regions often face infrastructure destruction and economic difficulties. The development of tourism can be a key factor in recovery and economic growth. Geospatial platforms for interactive charitable tourism offer a promising solution for attracting tourists and stimulating the development of affected regions. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of geospatial platforms for interactive charitable tourism as a tool for attracting tourists and promoting the recovery and development of regions affected by armed conflicts. This study employed regression and correlation analysis methods. The analysis revealed significant positive correlations for all variables. The correlation coefficient for audience reach was 0.75, for the effectiveness of attracting donations—0.8, for the economic impact on the region—0.9, for user interaction with the platform—0.85, for platform sustainability—0.78, and for social impact—0.92. The t-statistic values exceeded the critical thresholds, and the p-values were below 0.05, confirming the statistical significance of the results. The coefficient of determination was 0.91, indicating a high explanatory power of the model. For the four obtained clusters, approaches to the development and use of geospatial platforms were justified. For regions of Cluster 1 with high audience reach (0.75) and moderate effectiveness of attracting donations (0.8), it is recommended to use technologies to improve connectivity and effectively promote their strengths. For regions of Cluster 2 with high sustainability and high tourism potential (high social impact = 0.92), it is necessary to include advanced geospatial solutions to increase visitor engagement and optimize recovery strategies, building on existing strengths to attract more tourists and stimulate sustainable development. For regions of Cluster 3, significant investments are required both in geospatial platforms and in tourism infrastructure to benefit from high tourism potential (economic impact on the region = 0.9). Strategic development and targeted marketing should be a priority to attract tourists and stimulate economic growth. Regions of Cluster 4 with low sustainability and tourism potential (low user interaction with the platform = 0.85 and platform sustainability = 0.78) require comprehensive support, as they are in a crisis situation.
... Zhou et al., (2018) aplicaram o conceito de paisagem terapêutica a um grupo de turistas seniores com determinados problemas de saúde e procuravam o bem-estar, identificando que as paisagens "verdes" e "azuis" terapêuticas (e.g., florestas, parques naturais, lagos, spas), tiveram um impacto significativo na perceção de bem-estar e saúde nos participantes. O turismo de bem-estar pode contribuir para o crescimento do turismo de felicidade (McCabe & Johnson, 2013), a qual Tien et al. (2021) denominam de "economia da felicidade". ...
Abstract: Global demographic aging comes from economic, social, and health policies, in which the individual plays an active role in his or her own health and well-being. The Autonomous Region of the Azores, internationally known for the beauty of its natural landscapes, is recognised as the first archipelago considered a sustainable destination at the world level. This research aimed to explore the concerns, activities/interests, and motivations of seniors who have visited or wish to visit the Azores Region. This article analyzes the profile of the senior "tourist", explores the motivations and interests for visiting the Azores, investigates differences between the groups, and analyses possible predictors. It is suggested that stakeholders should have greater investment in the quality and (re)creation of health and wellness tourism products.
... The technical domain is widely regarded as a crucial element in VLEs, as it encompasses the skills needed to navigate and interact effectively with VFTs (Wen & Gheisari, 2020). The social domain reflects the sociocultural context of learning and underscores the significance of social relationships among learners (Farber & Hall, 2007;Hardy et al., 2013;Kang & Gretzel, 2012;McCabe & Johnson, 2013;Xie & Garner, 2009), emphasizing the formation of positive social networks and effective communication between participants, which are crucial for collaborative learning experiences. ...
This study proposes a "modified novelty space" model for learning in virtual geological field trips. To do so, three field sites in Busan National Geopark were selected to explore geological characteristics. VR-based virtual field trips (VFTs) were developed for participation. These VFTs consisted of basic, plus, and advanced steps. The modified novelty space model redefines the novelty space for the context of virtual learning environments (VLEs) by subdividing it into cognitive, geographic, psychological, technical, and social factors. The cognitive domain refers
to the curriculum content in geology. The geographic domain involves contextual
interpretations of places. The psychological domain increases familiarity based on methods to provide stability. The technical domain refers to the ability to handle skills. The social domain refers to emotional sharing among people in relationships. This model proposes five elements with the aim of decrease in modified novelty space ultimately contributing positively to virtual learning.
... On the other hand, the tourism sector offers experiences that cover both aspects of well-being, contributing to long-term satisfaction and health benefits for both tourists and residents. McCabe and Johnson (2013) and Hartwell et al. (2018) referred to the positive and sustainable effects of tourism, in terms of mental and physical health. They also highlighted the importance of the tourism industry in improving the quality of life through offers that focus on well-being. ...
In recent decades, the concept of well-being has often been the subject of psychological studies. The current study examines how tourism relates to well-being from the perspective of tourists/visitors, through the study of the older and more recent literature. Especially when it comes to the complex and multifaceted issue of well-being, in relation to the also complex and sensitive sectors of tourism, the specificity of this relationship is reflected in the evidence and the growing number of articles published in mainstream and reliable journals. By using the PRISMA framework, this article compares and evaluates published papers on the study of well-being and tourist behavior to guide and direct future research. It has been found that the relationship between well-being and tourism, especially after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been significantly strengthened. This study highlights the need to adopt a holistic approach that considers all the connections between well-being and tourism.
... Hold the tension for a few seconds before releasing it while focusing on the di!erence between the tense and relaxed state. Take time out [159] Take a break from a situation or person that is causing sadness or stress to you. Go for a walk or listen to calming music for a couple of minutes. ...
This research presents a novel approach to enhance mental well-being and
alleviate anxiety and depression symptoms in individuals by introducing a
multi-modal emotion prediction mechanism and an AI agent for personalized
activity recommendations. The study employs state-of-the-art deep learning
models to predict emotions based on facial expressions, vocal tones, and vocal
text, with a focus on the Sri Lankan context. A reinforcement learning agent
is incorporated to suggest personalized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
activities based on the predicted emotions.
The developed models demonstrated high accuracy: 72% for the facial expression
model, 73% for the vocal tone model, and 86% for the vocal text model. The
e!ectiveness of the AI agent’s intervention was evaluated using the DASS-21
questionnaire, with the study group reporting significant improvements in mental
well-being, including reductions in anxiety and depression scores. The average
depression score decreased from 21.08 pre-intervention to 13.54 post-intervention,
and the average anxiety score reduced from 19.85 to 10.46. In contrast, the control
group experienced an increase in average depression and anxiety scores.
The research contributes to the field of personalized mental health interventions by
e!ectively combining multi-modal emotion prediction models and AI-based activity
suggestions to enhance individuals’ mental well-being.
... increases in self-esteem, social inclusion, self-confidence and independence) for these low-income groups (McCabe & Qiao, 2020;Minnaert, 2022). Moreover, McCabe and Johnson (2013) investigated the levels of well-being among social tourists and concluded that 'personal values interact with subjective assessments of life satisfaction and conditions of life to determine quality of life ' (p. 45). ...
... Additionally, Darvishmotevali et al. propose that experiences related to learning, entertainment and aesthetics can further enhance individuals' sense of value thereby influencing their health and wellbeing [53]. Leisure tourism not only enhances an individual's happiness but also contributes to the enhancement of tourists' subjective well-being while potentially improving the overall quality of life within the community [54]. ...
This study aims to investigate the psychological cognitive mechanisms of rural residents amidst the renewal of suburban historical and cultural villages by examining the interplay between nostalgia, collective memory, subjective well-being and place identity in rural tourism destinations. Using Naobao Village as a case study—a suburban historical and cultural village in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, this research employs a comprehensive approach integrating experimental methods and questionnaire surveys. The findings demonstrate that analyzing the interaction among the four emotions can elucidate the psychological cognitive mechanism of residents. Moreover, it uncovers that tourism effects significantly influence residents' perception of their living environment with positive effects on collective memory, subjective well-being and place identity. In the theoretical model for generating psychological cognition among residents in suburban historical and cultural villages, subjective well-being and collective memory play crucial mediating roles. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for spatial reconstruction and cultural evolution of tourist landscapes in suburban rural tourist destinations.
... Tam olarak sosyal bir gereklilik olduğu için, göz önüne alınması gereken bir kaldıraçtır (Agovino vd., 2017). Erişilebilirliğin hem firmalara ne kadar kar ve değer kattığını gösteren hem de sağlık turistlerine ne kadar değer kattığı ve fayda sağladığını gösteren uluslararası düzeyde erişilebilir turizmin uygulanmasına ilişkin çeşitli çalışmalar yapılmıştır (Lee vd., 2012;McCabe & Johnson, 2013;Small vd., 2012) Mevcut turizm tesisleri ile turizm faaliyeti gerçekleştiren tüm paydaşların kendi iş süreçlerinde yapacakları düzenleme ile engelli bireylerin ve yanlarındaki refakatçilerin ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda oluşturulacak ufak değişiklikler sayesinde oldukça büyük geri dönüşlerin alınacağı düşünülmektedir. ...
... The connection between tourism and well-being has been extensively examined and comprehended from various angles. Tourism actively contributes to the happiness and positive emotions of traveller, influencing residents' well-being in tourist destinations, symbolizing improved quality of life and societal progress, and even the frequency of travel can impact someone's overall happiness (see De Bloom et al., 2010;Liu et al., 2023;Lynn et al., 2009;McCabe & Johnson, 2013;Uysal et al., 2016). The current body of literature focuses on the role of tourism in well-being, with limited attention given to measuring its benefits, particularly concerning children. ...
Research on the impact of travel on child well-being has been scarce. This study explores children’s travel preferences by analysing their drawings, revealing factors that enhance their well-being and engagement. We analysed 214 drawings from girls aged 8 to 11 from three schools in Tehran, Iran. The drawings illustrated playful activities, nature-based experiences, and cultural explorations with family and peers. Using visual content analysis, the findings suggest that children value interactive, educational travel experiences, enhancing their happiness and developmental growth. The research highlights the importance of considering children’s perspectives in tourism planning and emphasizes family, social interactions, and environmental engagement in contributing to children well-being. It also addresses the methodological limitations and cultural influences on their travel preferences.
... This research emphasizes the role of leisure and social connections in promoting a healthier and more productive academic environment. Tourism has long been recognized as an industry that can foster equality and the fulfillment of social rights, allowing all individuals to enjoy tourist attractions regardless of their social and economic backgrounds (McCabe & Johnson, 2013). This universal accessibility underscores the capacity of tourism to provide opportunities for every individual irrespective of income, education level, or social status to fulfill their travel needs (Pyke et al., 2019). ...
This study examines social tourism within higher education institutions in Bali, Indonesia, using an inclusive approach that involved both lecturers and students from public and private universities. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research collected quantitative data through surveys distributed across five universities in Bali Province, while qualitative data was obtained from interviews with participants knowledgeable about inclusive social tourism. The findings reveal that social tourism activities are integrated with the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, emphasizing teaching, research, and community service. These activities blend academic endeavors, such as field research, workshops, seminars, and benchmarking, with tourism experiences like sightseeing and cultural events. The study highlights the benefits of social tourism for the academic community, including increased social capital, improved self-confidence, and enhanced knowledge and skills. Additionally, social tourism fosters collaboration between universities and contributes to the mental and physical well-being of academics, helping to alleviate burnout. The study suggests that higher education institutions should consider policies that leverage social tourism to enhance academic experiences and promote holistic development among faculty and students.
... Additionally, Darvishmotevali et al. propose that experiences related to learning, entertainment, and aesthetics can further enhance individuals' sense of value, thereby influencing their health and well-being [61]. Leisure tourism not only enhances an individual's happiness but also contributes to the enhancement of tourists' subjective well-being while potentially improving the overall quality of life within the community [62]. ...
This study aims to investigate the cognitive mechanisms of rural residents amidst the renewal of suburban historical and cultural villages by examining the interplay between nostalgia, collective memory, subjective well-being, and place identity in rural tourism destinations. Using Naobao Village as a case study—a suburban historical and cultural village in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia—this research employs a comprehensive approach integrating experimental methods and questionnaire surveys. The findings demonstrate that analyzing the interaction among the four emotions can elucidate the cognitive mechanism of residents. Moreover, it uncovers that positive tourism effects significantly influence residents’ perception of their living environment with positive effects on collective memory, subjective well-being, and place identity. In the theoretical model for generating cognition among residents in suburban historical and cultural villages, subjective well-being and collective memory play crucial mediating roles. This study offers a novel perspective for spatial reconstruction and cultural evolution of tourist landscapes in suburban rural tourist destinations.
... For instance, Gilbert and Abdullah (2004) revealed people who went on frequent vacations reported greater levels of life satisfaction compared to those who did not, both prior to and following their trip. McCabe and Johnson (2013) confirmed that tourism contributes to social tourist's well-being by utilizing the measure of subjective well-being. Laing and Frost (2017) discovered four elements (namely positive emotion, relationships, meaning, and achievement) of the PERMA model influential in promoting the well-being of female travel writers in Italy. ...
Despite exponential growth in research interest in the psychological benefits derived from travel experiences, existing conceptualizations of well-being in tourism predominantly adopt Western perspectives. This conceptual paper proposes a multifocal model for understanding tourist well-being through a Confucian lens. By comparing the five cardinal Confucian virtues with Aristotelian well-being perspectives, this multidimensional framework integrates traditional and modern well-being insights, depicting eleven dimensions of Chinese tourists’ psychological well-being. This manuscript contributes a multi-focal model of Chinese tourist well-being, which extends the traditional one-dimensional Confucian perspectives on well-being toward a two-dimensional framework which includes eudaimonic and hedonic aspects. Future studies should conduct empirical work designed to clarify conceptual and terminological ambiguity and advance discourse on the integration of Eastern perspectives into the study of tourist well-being.
... Donation behaviour (D.B.) was from Smith and McSweeney (2007) and Sharma et al. (2021), measured on a seven-point semantic differential scale, ranging from "never" (1) to "many times" (7). Lastly, emotional well-being (E.W.) was adapted from McCabe and Johnson (2013). Most survey instruments were assessed on a Likert scale, from 1 strongly disagree to 7 strongly agree. ...
Purpose
The overarching goal of the study was to formulate an integrated research model to empirically demonstrate the complex interplay between heuristics, project characteristics, information system usage quality, empathy, and mindfulness in predicting users'/donors' donation behaviour and well-being in the context of donation-based crowdfunding (DBC) mobile apps.
Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected from 786 respondents and analysed using the multi-stage SEM-ANN-NCA (Structural equation modelling-artificial neural network-necessary condition analysis) method.
Findings
Increased perceived aesthetics, narrative structure, self-referencing, project popularity, project content quality, and initiator reputation would foster empathy. Empathy and mindfulness lead to donation behaviour, and, ultimately emotional well-being.
Originality/value
This study offers a clear framework by ranking the key contextual predictors and assessing the model’s necessity logic to facilitate crowdfunders' donation behaviour and well-being on DBC platforms. This research provides practical insights for bank marketers and further aids financial service providers in formulating an optimal DBC mobile app strategy.
... Recent scientific studies have examined the relationship between quality of life and tourism, typically from the viewpoint of both residents and tourists. Recent scientific studies have examined the relationship between quality of life and tourism, typically from the viewpoint of both local residents (Perdue, Long, & Kang, 1999;Kim, 2002;Andereck, Valentine, Vogt & Knopf, 2007;Andereck & Nyaupane, 2011;Aref, 2011;Khizindar, 2012;Kim, Uysal, & Sirgy, 2013;Michalkó, Bakucz, & Rátz, 2013;Woo, Kim, & Uysal, 2015;Woo, Uysal, & Sirgy, 2018;Biagi, Ladu, Meleddu, & Royuela, 2019;Bandoi, Jianu, Enescu, Axinte, Sorin, & Firoiu, 2020;Nopiyani & Wiraman, 2021;Wang, Berbekova, & Uysal, 2022) and tourists (Kelly, 1978;Jeffres & Dobos, 1993;Kousha & Mohseni, 1997;Gilbert & Abdullah, 2004;Neal, Sirgy, & Uysal, 2007;McCabe, Joldersma, & Li, 2010;McCabe & Johnson, 2013;Woo et al., 2015;Eusébio, Carneiro, & Caldeira, 2016;Uysal, Sirgy, Woo, & Kim, 2016;Luo, Lanlung, Kim, Tang, & Song, 2018;Campon-Cerro, Di-Clemente, Hernandez-Mogollon, & Folgado-Fernandez, 2020;Kim, Sirgy, Uysal, & Kim, 2021;Huang, Chen, & Ramos, 2023). Previous researches have explored the quality of life from the viewpoints of both tourists and locals. ...
Purpose
Building on the principles and theoretical perspectives of developmental psychology, the research aims to provide a structural guide for effectively applying the life-course biographical method to reveal seniors’ evolving psychological well-being in the context of tourism.
Design/methodology/approach
Through the case study of senior tourist well-being involving 33 in-depth biographical interviews, with integrating criteria applied in conceptually related qualitative studies, this research focuses on the key issues of the quality of data, analysis procedure and trustworthiness strategies.
Findings
Drawing on the life-course paradigm and hermeneutic phenomenology, this research contributes to a structural guide for applying the life-course biographical method in advancing the conceptual understanding of senior tourist well-being through a developmental lens. The guide includes strategies for information power, a three-stage interview procedure and a rigorous analytical framework to ensure data quality and trustworthiness. Using this guide, the study proposes an integrative framework for senior tourist well-being across the life course, highlighting the nuanced and evolving psychological needs and well-being derived from tourism experiences.
Originality/value
This research advocates moving beyond traditional cross-sectional approaches in tourism studies by emphasizing the dynamic interplay between life-course events and the psychological well-being of senior tourists. It provides valuable insights for tourism managers and marketers, offering strategies to harness the therapeutic potential of tourism and contribute to the global healthy ageing agenda.
Satisfaction with one's place of residence significantly impacts satisfaction with life, and tourists' visit satisfaction also enhances individuals' well‐being. This study explores the impact of residential and visit satisfaction on overall life satisfaction in a rural border area near the Korean Demilitarised Zone, currently facing population decline. Through an analysis of 16 area‐specific attributes, the research underscores the pivotal role of social factors and landscapes in shaping satisfaction for both residents and tourists. Social interaction was found to be the crucial factor, emphasising the paramount importance of resident interactions in these seemingly isolated rural border areas. Particularly noteworthy is the profound impact of residents' emotional solidarity on tourists' visit satisfaction, a phenomenon intricately linked to the active involvement of the local community in managing tourist attractions. Additionally, for residents, satisfaction with various residential attributes is more likely to affect diverse aspects of life, underscoring the multifaceted influence of residential satisfaction. In contrast, tourists' attributes satisfaction of visited area indirectly affects their life satisfaction through overall visit satisfaction. This integrated approach, encompassing both residents' subjective judgements and tourists' objective evaluations, proves invaluable in declining population areas where tourism plays a pivotal role in regional revitalisation.
Subjective well-being (SWB) is integrative, but supporters of authentic happiness have criticized it as overemphasizing emotions and difficult to interpret eudaemonic well-being. The primary reason is that the theoretical basis of emotional perspective has not been fully considered, resulting in several research gaps. This study aims to provide evidence for integrative SWB and fills the research gaps by analyzing the antecedent appraisal mechanisms leading to ultimate happiness in tourism using qualitative grounded theory. The following results are observed. (1) The appraisal leading to ultimate emotional happiness involves eudaemonic well-being. (2) The dominant factors include attention activation, interestingness, goal relevance, goal realization, and group attribution, and the antecedent feeling is flow experience. This study is innovative because it verifies the existence of integrated SWB in tourism, provides a rigorous application of the appraisal theory in tourism, and is the first study considering the appraisal of a time-specific and retrospective tourism emotion.
Previous meta-analytic research concluded that the well-being benefits of vacation are small and fade away quickly, suggesting that vacation may not be that effective of a recovery opportunity for improving employee well-being. Since the time of this initial meta-analysis, however, the number of vacation studies has increased, providing an opportunity to estimate more precise meta-analytic estimates and increase our understanding of the different factors that play a role in this vacation–well-being relationship. As such, we conduct a meta-analysis using 32 studies that include 256 effect sizes to examine how employee well-being levels change due to vacation. Our results reveal that vacation has a large effect on well-being that does not fade out as quickly as previously thought. In terms of moderators, our results suggest that vacation length, national culture, and number of nationally mandated vacation days moderate this relationship, but the role of vacation location (i.e., away from home, at home, or a mix of both) remains unclear. Finally, we examine how types of activities and specific recovery experiences during vacation correlate with well-being during and after vacation using a meta-analysis of eight studies that include 69 effect sizes. Our findings suggest that psychological detachment and physical activities during vacation may be the most beneficial for improving employee well-being. Overall, this meta-analysis provides evidence that vacation is a more effective recovery opportunity for improving employee well-being than previous work suggests.
Sağlık turizmi içerisinde sağlık ve turizm gibi iki farklı uygulama kapsamını bir araya getirmesi nedeniyle onem derecesi her geçen zaman artan, küresel çapta oldukça ilgi duyulan bir alan haline gelmiştir. İçerisinde hem sağlık hizmetlerini hem de turizm aktivitelerini içermesi nedeniyle insan faktörünün değerlendirilmesi dışında çok çeşitli ekonomik ve kültürel bileşenlerin de değerlendirilmesini gerekli hale getiren sağlık turizmi, felsefi tartışma potansiyeli de olan bir alandır. Özellikle sağlık ve turizm süreçlerinin sunumu bireylerin sağlıklarına kavuşması karşısında hizmet sunan tarafların ekonomik kaygılarını da karşı karşıya getirebilmekte, ayrıca etik kaygılar ve sağlık turizminin etkinlik kapsamı da tartışmaya açık hususlar haline gelmektedir. Açıklamalardan hareketle bu bolum sağlık turizmiyle ilgili soz konusu hususları on plana alarak sağlık turizminin felsefi bağlamda tartışılmasını amaçlamıştır. Sunulan bilgiler ile birlikte ortaya konulan açıklamalar sağlık turizminin felsefi boyutunun değerlendirilmesi açısından literature özgün katkılar sunmaktadır.
Purpose
Drawing on crisis management theory and complexity theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a prolonged COVID-19 induced lockdown on tourism small and medium enterprise (SME) operators’ well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods approach was used, with survey data from 226 SME tourism operators located in Victoria (Australia) and 33 interviews with a cross-representative selection of tourism stakeholders.
Findings
The findings of this study show that planned resilience, adaptive resilience, government communication (i.e. Roadmap to Recovery announcement) and revenue status are positively linked to well-being.
Research limitations/implications
The cross-sectional nature of this study is not able to provide evidence of a temporal relationship between exposure and outcome, as both are examined at the same time. This study is restricted to one Australian State and may have limited generalisability.
Practical implications
The findings identify strategies to improve tourism SMEs resilience and their operator well-being. Programs designed to meet the needs of tourism SME owners and enhance access to well-being services, while training for SME tourism operators should focus on improving the diversification potential of the business.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is among the first studies applying crisis management and complexity theories as theoretical lenses to explore the joint effect of organisational resilience and government communication on SME tourism operators’ well-being. The inclusion of communication on SME well-being is an area hitherto unexplored in the tourism literature.
Previous research has established that tourism can bring happiness and well-being to tourists. However, the specific mechanisms by which travel leads to well-being are not yet fully understood. To address this knowledge gap, this study integrated Cognitive Appraisal Theory (CAT) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to predict tourist well-being. The study employed a quantitative approach and used a sample population of tourists who had traveled abroad for at least 3 days in the past 12 months. Data was collected from an online panel owned by the Centre of Tourism Research in Prince Edward Island (PEI), resulting in a final sample size of 396. Two-step analysis, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), was performed on the data. The findings support the predictions of CAT and SDT and establish connections between the theories. Specifically, the study found that SDT's psychological needs of autonomy and relatedness mediate the relationship between the positive emotions elicited by the trip and tourists’ psychological well-being.
We propose a dualistic framework embodied by interconnected hedonic and eudaimonic approaches that reveals the long-term benefits of tourism on well-being. We adopt a transformative tourism perspective to propose the eudaimonic approach and draw on spill over theory to identify the hedonic approach. The two approaches to post-trip well-being promotion were examined using time-lagged data collected via three survey waves from 208 Chinese tourists. The results indicate that, eudaimonically, the meaning in life experienced in tourism triggers authentic living after returning home, while hedonically, positive emotions during the trip foster post-travel satisfaction with tourism, both of which facilitate long-term well-being. This study not only contributes to tourism and well-being literature by establishing novel paths through which tourism can fulfill its underestimated potential for sustained well-being benefits, but also adds to diverse alternative fields pertaining to existential authenticity, spill over theory, and transformative tourism.
This study explored the influence of digital celebrities on gastronomic tourism through the lens of the broaden‐and‐build theory. Utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) and a case study focused on TikTok, the research examined how consumers' subjective well‐being (SWB) affects para‐social interaction, novelty seeking, and audience participation, and how these factors, in turn, influence behavioral intention in the domains of food and travel. The results validated the proposed hypotheses, underscoring the importance of SWB in shaping behavioral intention within gastronomic tourism driven by digital celebrities. This paper enhances the current literature by elucidating the role of digital celebrities in gastronomic tourism and offers practical insights for marketers and tourism professionals on optimizing the influence of digital celebrities to improve the gastronomic tourism experience.
This chapter focuses on the notion of health, wellness, and quality of life from the standpoint of tourists and local residents. Sustainability is the over-arching umbrella under which these terms and the quality of life phenomena are scrutinized. First, the concepts of health and wellness/well-being are described. This is followed by a critical discourse on the surging popularity of wellness tourism. Last, deliberations are offered regarding the association between quality of life and wellness.
Information is a crucial component in human decision-making. This study explores the effect of pollution information on tourism behavior and the subsequent effect on individual well-being. Exploiting China’s pollution information disclosure policy as a natural experiment and a nationwide longitudinal survey, we find that tourism behavior became more responsive to air pollution after pollution information was made publicly available. Specifically, a 1% increase in PM2.5 concentration caused a 0.54% rise in household tourism expenditure. Additionally, tourism served as an adaptive mechanism to mitigate the adverse impact of air pollution on subjective well-being. Higher-income and younger people are more sensitive to this type of information. Our findings shed light on the significance of pollution information in tourism behavior and emphasize the role of information in promoting individual welfare.
The subjective well-being (SWB) of older adult sojourners is a complex psychological phenomenon. This study employs a combined approach of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and fuzzy qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the linear and nonlinear effects of motivation on the SWB of older adult sojourners. The results indicate that relaxation and decompression, wellness retreats, escape, and self-actualization motivations have a significant positive impact on the SWB of older adult sojourners. However, simple antecedent variables do not individually constitute the necessary conditions for high-level SWB; each variable requires a conditional combination with other factors to generate high-level SWB. Furthermore, this study reveals that nine different combinations of fsQCA consistently lead to high levels of SWB in older adult sojourners. These nine combinations can be categorized into five specific causal pathways, with the escape motivation serving as a core condition in each pathway. This study extends the research on senior residential tourism and offers practical insights for enhancing the competitiveness of senior residential tourism destinations.
While tourism experiences are often recommended over material possessions for their superior potential to boost consumers’ well-being, the context-based nature of such tourism superiority remains under-investigated. This study accordingly examines the extent to which mindset (growth vs. fixed) defines the boundary conditions of this recommendation. Two experiments, designed with different mindset operationalizations, well-being measures, and data collection platforms, reveal that only individuals adopting a growth mindset, either chronically or temporarily primed, gain greater eudaimonia and, in turn, enjoy greater hedonia from tourism experiences than from material possessions. The findings extend the literature on experiential superiority, mindset theory, and well-being benefits of tourism while informing the mindset-based designs of tourism experiences and marketing materials to improve tourists’ well-being outcomes.
Bu araştırma, turistlerin seyahat motivasyonları, öznel iyi oluşları ve tekrar ziyaret etme niyetleri arasındaki ilişkileri az bilinen turistik destinasyonlar bağlamında incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Yapılan araştırmalar sonucunda, İğneada beldesinin araştırma için en uygun destinasyonlardan biri olduğu görülmüştür. İğneada, tam anlamıyla keşfedilmemiş turizm potansiyeli ve doğal zenginlikleri ile bu çalışmanın odak noktasını oluşturarak, literatürde daha az ele alınmış bir alanı temsil etmektedir. Bu bağlamda, İğneada gibi turizm potansiyeli olan fakat yeterince bilinmeyen destinasyonlara yönelik yapılan bu tür çalışmalar turizm stratejilerinin geliştirilmesi açısından oldukça önemlidir. Araştırmanın amacına ulaşmak için İğneada'ya seyahat eden turistler içerisinden yerli turistlere ulaşılarak çevrimiçi anket uygulanmıştır. Amaçlı örnekleme yöntemi benimsenen veri toplama sürecinde 386 kullanılabilir veri elde edilmiş ve elde edilen bu veriler SPSS programı aracılığıyla analiz edilmiştir.
Araştırmanın bulgularına göre katılımcıların seyahat motivasyonları, öznel iyi oluşları ve tekrar ziyaret etme niyetleri arasında pozitif yönlü anlamlı ilişkiler tespit edilmiştir. Katılımcıların seyahat motivasyonlarının öznel iyi oluşlarını etkilediği, tekrar ziyaret etme niyetinin ise hem seyahat motivasyonu hem de öznel iyi oluştan etkilendiği ortaya çıkarılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, turizm sektöründe bu tür destinasyonların değerinin daha fazla anlaşılmasına ve tanıtılmasına katkı sağlamaktadır.
Tourism research on topics such as happiness, quality of life of tour-ists, and tourist well-being has flourished in recent years. This literature clarifies the subjective value of tourist experiences, provides new direc-tions for tourism branding and promotion, and opens doors to fresh re-search on the potential benefits of tourist experiences to mental health. Subjective well-being theory has been typically used by tourism re-searchers to help conceptualize and measure tourist happiness. In lay terms, this theory suggests that happiness is life satisfaction and pleas-ure; the theory is popular and useful but cannot explain tourist happi-ness. To craft a more complete picture of tourist happiness, a deeper qualitative appreciation of meaningful tourist experiences and special and engaging tourist moments is required. This brief critique highlights the problems of conceptualizing tourist happiness and suggests an al-ternative approach to the subjective well-being theory.
Previous research on family vacations has emphasized tourism and marketing but largely ignored lived experiences. As part of a larger project exploring the meanings of family vacations to all family members, this study focuses on children's perspectives through analysis of in‐depth interviews of 24 school‐age children from 15 different families. Throughout the many different types of vacations, activities were central and created a context from which three main themes emerged. The first was a focus on having fun as an important vacation outcome. The second, newness and familiarity, conveyed the importance of adventure, new experiences, and other possibilities within a secure and stable social environment. The third theme was the centrality of social connections to reaffirm and strengthen relationships with family and friends. Children's experiences did not neatly fit into previously established family leisure models, thereby reinforcing the importance of considering all family members’ perspectives in future research.
The purpose of this study lies in the conceptual adjustment of the travel career ladder (TCL) approach to travel motivation. In this context, the study examined the relationship between patterns of travel motivation and travel experience. This research was conducted through two studies: an interview phase to guide the further conceptual development of the travel career approach and a major survey phase for further empirical exploration of the ideas. Overall results suggested that host-site-involvement motivation (e.g., experiencing different cultures) and nature-related motivation (e.g., being close to nature) were more important factors to the more experienced travelers, whereas motivations such as stimulation, personal development, relationship (security), self-actualization, nostalgia, romance, and recognition had a higher priority for the less experienced ones. Importantly, a core of travel motivation factors including escape, relaxation, relationship enhancement, and self-development seem to comprise the central backbone of motivation for all travelers.
According to the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci and Ryan 1985), intrinsic and extrinsic motivations can be differentiated with levels along a continuum representing distinct self-regulatory styles for behavior. Behavioral regulations consider different degrees to which they represent autonomous or self-determined functioning and specifically intrinsic motivations are characterized by the highest level of self-determination. Past research into the SDT has highlighted correlations between reasons with high levels of autonomy or self-determination for engaging in a particular behavior and enhanced Subjective Well-Being (SWB), as well as positive behavioral outcomes. Little is known about the relationship between visitors’ reasons for visiting a national park, associated self-regulatory styles and their self-appraisals of SWB. Therefore, the present research investigates the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for visiting the Kruger National Park (KNP), associated self-regulatory styles and self-evaluations of SWB among 389 overnight visitors. A structural equation model (SEM) is proposed to examine both the cognitive (life satisfaction) and affective (positive and negative feelings) components of SWB in association to motivations with different degrees of self-determination. Reflecting previous research, the results show that overnight visitors who are more intrinsically motivated have higher life satisfaction levels, higher positive feelings and lower negative feelings. In contrast, overnight visitors who are less intrinsically motivated have lower life satisfaction levels, lower positive feelings and higher negative feeling. The practical implications of these findings are highlighted.
Most vacations seem to have strong, but rather short-lived effects on health and well-being (H&W). However, the recovery-potential of relatively long vacations and the underlying processes have been disregarded. Therefore, our study focused on vacations longer than 14 days and on the psychological processes associated with such a long respite from work. In the present study, we investigated (1) how health and well-being (H&W) develop during and after a long summer vacation, (2) whether changes in H&W during and after vacation relate to vacation activities and experiences and (3) whether changes in H&W during and after vacation relate to sleep. Fifty-four employees reported their H&W before, three or four times during and five times after vacation. Vacations lasted 23 days on average. Information on vacation experiences, work-related activities and sleep was collected during vacation. Vacation activities were assessed immediately after vacation. H&W increased quickly during vacation, peaked on the eighth vacation day and had rapidly returned to baseline level within the first week of work resumption. Vacation duration and most vacation activities were only weakly associated with H&W changes during and after vacation. Engagement in passive activities, savoring, pleasure derived from activities, relaxation, control and sleep showed strong relations with improved H&W during and to a lesser degree after vacation. In conclusion, H&W improved during long summer vacations, but this positive effect was short-lived. Vacation experiences, especially pleasure, relaxation, savoring and control, seem to be especially important for the strength and persistence of vacation (after-) effects.
The contribution of vacations to people’s life satisfaction and Quality of Life (QOL) has recently attracted substantial attention among tourism researchers. Yet, most QOL scales do not include vacations: 7% explicitly measure vacations whereas 42% only include items relating to vacations within the broader Leisure domain. Leisure and vacations, however, differ substantially in nature with leisure referring to regular home-based activities and vacations being infrequent leisure activities away from home. As a consequence of the common amalgamation of vacations with leisure, there is limited knowledge about the specific contribution of vacations to people’s QOL. The present study (1) presents empirical evidence for the contribution of vacations to QOL, (2) determines the extent of this contribution, and (3) investigates variation in the extent to which vacations contribute to the QOL of different people. Results indicate that vacations contribute to the QOL of the majority of people, are as important a QOL domain as Leisure and People, and that QOL means different things to different people at different points in their life, representing an individual and dynamic concept.
The present study (1) develops a dynamic, individual hierarchical model of the importance of vacations to Quality of Life (QOL), and (2) introduces this concept as a novel segmentation base, acknowledging that not all people want to go on vacation. The proposed Grevillea Model of the Importance of Vacations for Quality of Life is tested empirically by examining 1000 survey responses. Results show that 10% of Australians perceive vacations as critical to QOL. Another 60% perceive vacations add to, but they are not essential to QOL. Practical tourism marketing implications include: (1) vacations are not important to all people; therefore, mass marketing is a waste of resources, (2) people viewing vacations as essential to QOL represent a highly attractive market segment because they are likely to be crisis-resistant, and (3) a vacation's importance to QOL changes over life-stages.
Contemporary studies of tourism see the tourist experience as either something essentially spurious and superficial, an extension of an alienated world, or as a serious search for authenticity, an effort to escape from an alienated world. It is argued that neither of these views is universally valid. A more discriminating distinction between five types of tourist experiences is proposed, based on the place and significance of tourist experience in the total world-view of tourists, their relationship to a perceived `centre' and the location of that centre in relation to the society in which the tourist lives. It is proposed that the resulting continuum of types of tourist experience is both more comprehensive than alternative conceptual frameworks and capable of reconciling and integrating the conflicting interpretations arising from earlier studies.
This article proposes a quality-of-life (QOL) theory of leisure travel satisfaction based on goal theory. The proposed theory has four central principles: (1) selecting leisure travel goals that have high levels of positive valence, (2) selecting leisure travel goals that are very likely to be attained, (3) engaging in actions that would implement these leisure travel goals, and (4) engaging in actions that would allow the tourist to experience goal attainment. Numerous subprinciples are introduced in the context of these four major principles. A research agenda is discussed based on the overall theory. Managerial implications of this research are also discussed.
How does the tourism literature model major recreational travel decisions? What influences do the “grand models” in consumer research have on tourist destination choice models? This article provides building-block propositions for creating useful theories of decision making by travelers via a qualitative review of the tourist decision-making literature. The grand models of decision-making in consumer research inform the propositions advanced. The article describes trends in developing traveler destination choice models. Along with examining decision-making propositions from the literature, the article covers important issues in need of resolution for making advances in understanding, describing, and predicting tourist decision-making.
The objective of this study was to develop a model explaining the effect of tourism services on the quality of life (QOL) of travelers. The model posits that overall life satisfaction is determined by satisfaction within the major life domains, including leisure life. Satisfaction experienced with life events within the leisure domain “spills over” upward vertically to the most superordinate domain (life in general), thus influencing life satisfaction. Satisfaction with aspects of services plays a significant role in determining overall satisfaction with travel/tourism services, which in turn plays an important role in satisfaction in the leisure domain. Furthermore, the model posits that these relationships are moderated by length of stay. A survey of travelers confirmed this model.
This volume, prepared for the UN High-Level Meeting on Happiness and Well-Being, sponsored by the Government of Bhutan, April 2, 2012, presents and analyzes measures of subjective well-being for up to 150 countries, reviews the scientific support for these measures, and presents new results explaining differences in happiness among individuals and nations.
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Counseling psychologists often work with clients to increase their well-being as well as to decrease their distress. One important aspect of well-being, highlighted particularly in humanistic theories of the counseling process, is perceived meaning in life. However, poor measurement has hampered research on meaning in life. In 3 studies, evidence is provided for the internal consistency, temporal stability, factor structure, and validity of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a new 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life. A multitrait-multimethod matrix demonstrates the convergent and discriminant validity of the MLQ subscales across time and informants, in comparison with 2 other meaning scales. The MLQ offers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity, a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
The British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) contains a number of different variables which pertain to individual well-being. Unfortunately for policy makers, these different measures do not always present the same picture of how well an individual's life is going. Existing studies have shown that income is poorly correlated with subjective measures of well-being and that different subjective well-being measures are fairly highly correlated between themselves. The factors which improve life satisfaction have been found to be similar to those which improve mental health, although some interesting exceptions have been identified. Being female tends to worsen mental health measures but increase, or be unrelated to, life satisfaction scores and being more educated reduces life satisfaction, yet improves scales focusing on purpose in life and seems unrelated to depression. The wealth of different well-being measures in the BHPS makes it an ideal source to shed light on these anomalies. This paper explores how ten different well-being measures differ in terms of their distribution and the types of people who score highly by each measure. Using multivariate analysis (between and within-person) economic and personal characteristics are found in some cases to have varying relationships with the different well-being measures. The analysis supports the finding from the literature that males score more highly in terms of mental health and health-related quality of life but lower on the evaluative well-being measures. As also expected from the literature variation is found in the relationship between education qualifications and different well-being measures. Equivalised income, consumption, and a needs-based measure of well-being for older people (the CASP-19) show a significantly positive impact of each additional education level yet a negative relationship is found for mental health (GHQ12) and life satisfaction measures. Possible reasons for this are explored. Additional analysis finds the relationship between education and both life satisfaction and domain satisfactions to be positive at low levels of satisfaction, yet negative at higher levels.
Using a ''subjectivist'' approach to the assessment of happiness, a new 4-item measure of global subjective happiness was developed and validated in 14 studies with a total of 2 732 participants. Data was collected in the United States from students on two college campuses and one high school campus, from community adults in two California cities, and from older adults. Students and community adults in Moscow, Russia also participated in this research. Results indicated that the Subjective Happiness Scale has high internal consistency, which was found to be stable across samples. Test-retest and self-peer correlations suggested good to excellent reliability, and construct validation studies of convergent and discriminant validity confirmed the use of this scale to measure the construct of subjective happiness. The rationale for developing a new measure of happiness, as well as advantages of this scale, are discussed.
Thinkers have discussed the good life and the desirable society for millennia. In the last decades, scientists offered several alternative approaches to defining and measuring quality of life: social indicators such as health and levels of crime, subjective well-being measures (assessing people''s evaluative reactions to their lives and societies), and economic indices. These alternative indicators assess three philosophical approaches to well-being that are based, respectively, on normative ideals, subjective experiences, and the ability to select goods and services that one desires. The strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches are reviewed. It is argued that social indicators and subjective well-being measures are necessary to evaluate a society, and add substantially to the regnant economic indicators that are now favored by policy makers. Each approach to measuring the quality of life contains information that is not contained in the other measures.
This handbook provides students of quality-of-life (QOL) research with an understanding of how QOL research can be conducted from an ethical marketing perspective - a perspective based on positive social change. The handbook covers theoretical, philosophical, and measurement issues in QOL research. The handbook also approaches selected QOL studies in relation to various populations in various life domains. The marketing approach is highly pragmatic because it allows social and behavioral scientists from any discipline to apply marketing concepts to plan social change and assess the impact of intervention strategies on the QOL of targeted populations.
This chapter focuses on the relationship between tourism and quality-of-life from a demand side perspective. Emphasis is placed on various domains of quality-of-life, as identified by numerous authors, but in particular Rahman et al. (Measuring the quality of life across countries. A sensitivity analysis of well-being indices. Research paper No. 2005/06 in World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) established by United Nations University (UNU), 2005), as these were considered to be the most comprehensive and appropriate for this particular study. These include health, work and productivity, material well-being, feeling part of one’s local community, personal safety, quality of environment, emotional well-being and relationship with family and friends. The authors considered each of these domains in turn and analysed their relevance for the demand side of tourism, that is, tourists’ perceptions, motivations and behaviour.
It was concluded that tourism contributes to all of the domains, but to some more than others. It was also necessary to adapt or to add to the domains in order to make them more relevant to tourism. Although some forms of tourism tend to be more closely connected to certain domains than others, and it is necessary to extend existing domains from the more general literature, all forms of tourism are affected by all of the domains to a greater or lesser extent. This leads us to conclude that tourism and quality-of-life are inextricably linked, even if tourism tends to be a temporary and irregular activity in our lives. However, it is the act of travel as a social phenomenon rather than individual trips which seem to have an influence on peoples’ quality-of-life.
Going back to their points of origin in the 1970s, studies of tourist motivation and quality-of-life have remained largely discrete and compartmentalized to this very day. Although there have been investigations of tourism’s impact on the quality-of-life of people inhabiting destination communities as well as those examining various categories of tourists, there still seems to be very little analysis of the “why” of tourism and its connection with individual well-being. This chapter seeks to explore this missing link. First, it autobiographically outlines the author’s unique involvement in both areas of research from their early beginnings. Thereafter it revisits the conceptualization of tourist motivation, with special reference to the empirically validated “push-pull” paradigm, as well as the meaning of quality-of-life and its subjective evaluation. Finally it places tourist motivation within the framework of a path model linking it to profile variables, quality-of-life domains, and overall quality-of-life.
The literature on subjective well-being (SWB), including happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect, is reviewed in three areas: measurement, causal factors, and theory. Psychometric data on single-item and multi-item subjective well-being scales are presented, and the measures are compared. Measuring various components of subjective well-being is discussed. In terms of causal influences, research findings on the demographic correlates of SWB are evaluated, as well as the findings on other influences such as health, social contact, activity, and personality. A number of theoretical approaches to happiness are presented and discussed: telic theories, associationistic models, activity theories, judgment approaches, and top-down versus bottom-up conceptions.
This book seeks to make a contribution to the tourism and inequality debate, not only through its investigation of how and why tourism contributes to and reflects social inequality, but also through its exploration of the ways in which tourism can be a means to reduce social inequality or alleviate its impact. Across its 12 chapters, a wide range of inter-related forms of inequality and routes towards social justice are addressed. These include, but are not limited to, relations of class, nation, ethnicity, race, gender, disability and age, as they relate to social justice initiatives incorporating poverty alleviation, social inclusion, fair trade, ethics and human rights. This book is divided into three parts. The first examines social inequalities from the tourist consumer's perspective; the second explores inequalities as experienced by the tourism producers; and the third part consists of a series of chapters that reviews initiatives to reduce or alleviate the impact of inequalities for both consumers and producers.
Through the consumption of satisfactory services and products in tourism and other service industries, tourists may enhance their subjective well-being and quality-of-life (QOL). This chapter attempts to investigate the dynamic interaction between demographic, psychological, social and cultural factors, tourism experience, and QOL. Demographic variables include the age, gender, nationality, and social status of the tourist. Psychological factors are explained in terms of self-image, self-consistency motive, and social acceptance on tourism behavior. Tourists look for destinations and experiences which are congruent with their ideal self-image; they tend to see themselves consistent and be with others similar to them. Tourism choices should also be considered an activity through which identity and self is constructed and consolidated. Tourist motivation is another concept which influences the expectations prior to the travel and modifies tourist preferences, choice processes, and satisfaction. Considering tourist behavior as a whole, it can be implied that people can accumulate positive experiences and good social relationships which contribute to an increase in QOL.
This report presents the current status of a series of studies oriented toward the assessment of perceived life quality. The conceptual model proposes that a person's overall sense of life quality is understandable as a combination of affective responses to life 'domains', which are of two types-role situations and values. Over 100 items used to measure a wide variety of domains and 28 items assessing perceived overall life quality are presented. Various subsets of these items were used in interviews with several representative samples of American adults. Based on these data the domain items were grouped into a smaller number of semi-independent clusters which were internally stable across 10 different subgroups of the respondents and whose interrelationships were highly replicable in independent national samples. A series of analyses, some replicated in more than one survey showed: (1) an additive combination of 12 selected domains explained 50-60% of the variance in an index of overall life quality, (2) neither other domains nor several social characteristic variables contributed additional explanatory power, (3) this level of explanation was achieved in each of 22 subgroups of the population, and (4) additive combinations of domains worked as well as more complicated combinations.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
Tourism is regarded by society as being a healthy pursuit and a factor in increasing quality of life. This paper examines concepts of quality of life, health and the promotional tenets of tourism marketing-the "Four S's," and examines the healthiness of these pursuits. The paper questions whether it is repsonsible to continue to use these themes in the future. Finally, a new paradigm for tourism marketing and promotion is presented.
Understanding the social impacts of tourism on communities is extremely important for government at all levels so that action can be taken to reduce the likelihood of a community backlash against tourists and tourism development. Given that the residents of many tourism destinations are a fundamental part of the tourism ‘product’, resident attitudes and behaviour have a sizable impact on the success or otherwise of a destination. Research on the social impacts of tourism on communities is substantial and ongoing and while advances have been made in the area, the research has not addressed some of the deep seated issues faced by tourist destinations. This paper provides a critique of the social impact of tourism literature, highlighting the inadequacies in the research that has been conducted to date, which then leads to the development of a new conceptual framework. The paper traces the key developments in social impact research and argues that the predominance of quantitative methods potentially limits our ability to gain a more in-depth understanding of the impacts and how they influence both the host community and tourists. The paper finds that the quantitative focus from previous social impact research has led to a narrow understanding of the issues surrounding social impacts and proposes a new research agenda based on ‘layers’ of social impact understanding through the use of ethnography or phenomenology. The paper concludes with recommendations to progress social impact research beyond simply describing the issues towards explanations of why they occur by suggesting that social impact research examine, in greater depth, the values and intrinsic characteristics of the host residents.
Social Tourism for low-income groups forms part of social policy in several countries of mainland Europe, but little research evidence of its benefits exists. This study empirically examines these benefits in terms of increases in social and family capital. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with participating families and their support workers, in a semi-longitudinal research design. Social Tourism was found to increase family capital in the short term, and social capital—in terms of social networks, related pro-active behavior and self-esteem—in the medium term. These increases can be seen as beneficial for the participants and to wider society. Consequently it is suggested that Social Tourism may be a cost-effective addition to social policy.
This study provides evidence that people evaluate their control over events and over feelings separately with respect to both positive and negative experiences Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that subjects made separate self-evaluations of control regarding their ability to (a) avoid negative outcomes, (b) cope with negative outcomes, (c) obtain positive outcomes, and (d) savor positive outcomes In addition, beliefs about avoiding and obtaining were more highly correlated (r = 50) than were beliefs about coping and savoring (r= 27) It is argued that coping and savoring involve different sets of cognitive and behavioral skills Multiple regression analyses generally indicated that beliefs about avoiding and coping related more strongly to measures of subjective distress, whereas beliefs about obtaining and strongly related more strongly to measures of subjective well-being These four control beliefs are discussed in relation to other conceptual models of control, and ways in which savoring may promote perceived control are described
Of great importance in world tourism flows is tourism deriving from the participation in tourist and leisure activities of those social groups with modest incomes. Such forms of tourism have required social and political intervention to transform the basic principles of the universal right to rest and leisure into practical reality — the promotion of ‘social tourism’. This article describes the evolution of social tourism from its roots in the first half of the 20th century when industrial workers obtained annual paid holidays, to the present when tens of millions of people both in the industrialised and developing countries are involved in tourist activities. Many groups still have need of intervention to obtain tourism goods. The main organisations involved in promoting social tourism are outlined, with observations made on its future evolution.
The World Tourism Organisation's Recife Charter on Senior Tourism was the first document of its kind to make the explicit connection between senior tourism and quality of life. At the same time, this important declaration called for a much needed research agenda to examine such a linkage, since up to that point most studies either had tended to view those who had retired simply as a market niche with disposable income that could travel out of season, or else had considered this growing sector of the population solely in terms of another type of tourist. After discussing the meaning of life quality, this paper seeks to respond to the WTO challenge by outlining a number of hypotheses which collectively form a useful theoretical base for subsequent empirical investigation. More specifically, it focuses on such factors in the home environment as loss of freedom, relative deprivation, declining status, discrimination and social exclusion-experiences of the elderly which can be alleviated by the ego-enhancing properties, settings and opportunities of tourism. The article also seeks to identify researchers willing to undertake this sort of inquiry.
This paper aims to explore the relationship between well-being, quality of life and holiday participation among low-income families in the UK. There have been very studies that have examined quality of life (QOL) and subjective well-being in relation to tourism and none that have attempted to apply measures to assess the benefits of holidays for those people who are generally excluded from participation. This is important in relation to social tourism because of the fundamental need to develop mechanisms to evaluate the impact of charitable funding for supporting low-income families' participation in holidaymaking. This study evaluates the types of reasons given for financial assistance in applications to the Family Holiday Association including follow-up research with a sample of successful applicants on the perceived benefits of the holiday, including questions on QOL factors. The findings are limited in scope but do indicate that increases in QOL were reported among low-income families. The paper concludes by arguing that further research on adapted well-being and QOL measures be applied to tourism consumption. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Well–being, or quality of life, is a continuing goal for individuals and a major criterion for the evaluation of governments and societies. As a research concept, however, it has been marked by persisting problems of definition and measurement and by uncertainties about its changing pattern over the life course. In this article, these issues are discussed; the concept of well–being is “unpacked” and a model of stocks and flows is described as applicable to the analysis of well–being. Finally, the concept of resilience is proposed as important for research on well–being in relation to age.
Theory and research dealing with place identity and restorative environments have for the most part proceeded independently. Assuming that emotional- and self-regulation are processes underlying the development of place identity, and that a person's favorite place is an exemplar of environments used in such regulation processes, the present study goes beyond preliminary observations about restorative aspects of favorite places to consider how individuals evaluate their favorite places using terms set out in restorative environments theory. Finnish university students (n=78) evaluated the central square of their city (Tampere) and favorite and unpleasant places of their own designation using the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS), an instrument based on attention restoration theory. Consistent with notions of self-regulation, PRS subscale scores for Being Away, Fascination, Coherence, and Compatibility were all high in the favorite place evaluations, but Coherence and Compatibility were reliably higher than Being Away, which was in turn reliably higher than Fascination. Also, PRS subscale scores for the favorite places were reliably higher than those for the central square, which were in turn higher than those for the unpleasant places. Furthermore, differences were also found in self-reported emotional states associated with each place. The discussion suggests ways to develop further mutually reinforcing relations between restorative environments research and research on place identity.
Neal, Sirgy and Uysal (1999) developed a model and a measure to capture the effect of tourism services on travelers quality of life (QOL). They hypothesized that travelers overall life satisfaction is derived from satisfaction with the primary life domains (e.g., family, job, health). Specifically, overall life satisfaction is derived from two sources of satisfaction, namely satisfaction with non-leisure life domains and satisfaction with leisure life. Satisfaction with leisure life is derived from satisfaction with leisure experiences that take place at home and satisfaction with travel/tourism experiences. Satisfaction with travel/tourism experiences results from satisfaction with trip reflections of the traveler (e.g., what the traveler remembers regarding perceived freedomfrom control, perceived freedom from work, involvement, arousal, mastery, and spontaneity experienced during the trip) and satisfaction with travel/tourism services. Satisfaction with travel/tourism services was hypothesized further to be derived from satisfaction with the service aspects of travel/tourism phases – pre-trip services, en-route services, destination services, and return-trip services. The model was tested using a study of university faculty and staff. The original model was extended by hypothesizing the moderation effect of length of stay. Specifically, we hypothesized that the relationshipsin the model are likely to be more evident in relation to travelers who have more time to experience the tourism services than those who do not. A survey of 815 consumers of travel/tourism services who reside in Southwest Virginia was conducted. As predicted, the data confirmed hypotheses as established in the original model. Satisfaction with tourism services affects travelers QOL through the mediating effects of satisfaction with travel/tourism experiences, and satisfaction with leisure life. Furthermore, the moderating effect of length of stay was confirmed by the data. In sum, this replication and extension study provided additional validational support of the original tourism services satisfaction measure in relation to QOL-related measures.
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has beendesigned as a new barometer of Australians'satisfaction with their lives, and life inAustralia. It is based on, and develops, thetheoretical model of subjective wellbeinghomeostasis. The Index comprises two sub-scalesof Personal and National Wellbeing. Data werecollected through a nationally representativesample of 2,000 people in April/May 2001.Factor analysis confirmed the integrity of thetwo sub-scales and, confirming empiricalexpectation, the average level of lifesatisfaction was 75.5 percent of the scalemaximum score. Group comparisons revealed thatall age groups maintained their Personal Indexscore within the normal range. In addition,people in country areas were more satisfiedwith their personal lives than city-dwellers,but less satisfied about the nationalsituation, and people who had recentlyexperienced a strong positive event evidenced arise in wellbeing, whereas those who hadexperienced a strong negative event evidencedwellbeing in the low-normal range. It is arguedthat these data generally support homeostatictheory. However, an unusual result was thatfemales were more satisfied with their ownlives than males. A tentative argument isadvanced that this may represent aconstitutional difference. It is concluded thatthe Australian Unity Wellbeing Index haspotential as a valid, reliable and sensitiveinstrument to monitor national wellbeing.
A systematic review the child well-beingliterature in English was conducted withsearches in five databases to assess thecurrent state of child well-being research andanswer the following questions: (1) How is childwell-being defined? (2) What are the domains ofchild well-being? (3) What are the indicators ofchild well-being? and (4) How is childwell-being measured? This review updates andexpands a previous review of the childwell-being literature spanning 1974–1992. Results indicate that well-being is a commonlyused but inconsistently defined term frequentlyincluded in the study of child development. There are five distinct domains of childwell-being: physical, psychological, cognitive,social, and economic. Positive indicators areused more often in the physical, cognitive,social, and economic domains, while morenegative or deficit indicators are used in thepsychological domain. There is littleagreement in the research literature on how tobest measure child well-being.