Longing for Digital‐Free Trips: The Case of a Yoga Retreat
ABSTRACT People today are feeling exhausted by the continual distraction of mobile devices. Some are motivated to take a break from digital devices while travelling away from home. A popular combination is therefore to undergo a digital detox as part of a stay at a yoga retreat. This study examines how perceptions of novelty, effectiveness of co‐creation of the digital‐free hospitality experience, and the feeling of refreshment affect memorable digital‐free hospitality experiences, as well as the relationship between these experiences and participants' subjective well‐being, intention to revisit, and psychological resilience. Data were collected using WeChat from 522 Chinese guests who had stayed at a digital‐free yoga retreat in China between October 2024 and April 2025. The results suggest that novelty, co‐creation, and refreshment positively influence memorable digital‐free hospitality experiences. Moreover, stays that are more memorable lead to higher subjective well‐being, including psychological resilience, and a greater intention to revisit.
Authors
- Erose Sthapit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1650-3900)
- Chunli Ji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4749-8419)
- Brian Garrod (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5468-6816)
- Catherine Prentice (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7700-3889)
- Joaquim Dias Soeiro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4230-7767)
- Eugene Cheng‐Xi Aw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6712-1171)
- Heng Chu
Institutions
- Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
- Kunming University (CN)
- University of Southern Queensland (AU)
- Swansea University (GB)
- Macao Polytechnic University (MO)
- UCSI University (MY)
- City University of Macau (MO)
- Sunway University (MY)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Tourism Research
- Published
- 2026-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.70175
- Primary Topic
- Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00