Escapism as a mediator between cultural heritage travel experience and well-being: A comparative study of daily and non-daily travel contexts

Life is comprised of a spectrum of experiences, including sensing, feeling, thinking, acting, and relating to the world around us. These experiences are central not only to daily life but also to travel contexts, where individuals actively seek escapism and well-being. While tourism research has long emphasized the importance of travel experiences and their impact on well-being, most studies have primarily focused on travel beyond the everyday environments of individuals. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought increased attention to the value of travel within one’s daily living zone, highlighting the need to examine whether the established relationships among travel experience, escapism, and well-being apply equally to daily and non-daily travel contexts. This study addresses this gap by employing Schmitt’s five strategic experiential modules (SEM) to investigate how escapism mediates the relationship between cultural heritage travel experience and traveler well-being. A multi-group analysis was conducted to compare travelers within the daily living zone and those traveling beyond it. Data were collected from visitors to three major heritage sites in Gyeongju, South Korea, resulting in 509 valid responses. The results confirmed significant relationships among cultural heritage travel experience, escapism, and well-being, with escapism serving as a key mediator. Importantly, no significant differences were found between the two groups in the structural pathways. These findings suggest that the mechanisms through which travel experiences enhance well-being via escapism are consistent across both daily and non-daily travel contexts. This contributes to a more inclusive understanding of travel behavior and highlights the theoretical and practical importance of recognizing the evolving role of everyday tourism in our post-pandemic society.