Better Leisure, Better Travel? Exploring the Role of Leisure in Enhancing Work and Travel Satisfaction for Business Travelers

ABSTRACT The boundaries between leisure, work, and travel are increasingly blurred, yet few studies have examined how leisure during business travel impacts travelers' satisfaction with work and travel. Drawing upon self‐determination theory and the spillover theory of subjective well‐being, this study analyzes data collected from 323 business travelers at the 2024 China Canton Fair to investigate the influence of leisure psychological needs on work domain satisfaction and travel satisfaction, mediated by leisure domain satisfaction. The results reveal that: (1) Leisure psychological needs positively enhance leisure domain satisfaction. (2) Leisure domain satisfaction positively influences work domain satisfaction and travel satisfaction. (3) Leisure domain satisfaction mediates relationships between leisure psychological needs, work domain satisfaction, and travel satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature on business travel and tourist well‐being by revealing the cross‐domain spillover effects of leisure processes and also provides guidance for companies and destinations in developing targeted leisure service products.