The comfort of return: Reimagining familiar destinations as emotional, psychological, and identity spaces in contemporary tourism

In a tourism culture dominated by novelty and perpetual discovery, this qualitative study offers an alternative perspective by examining the emerging phenomenon of tourists repeatedly returning to familiar destinations. Drawing on 15 in-depth interviews with Vietnamese tourists who revisited Da Lat City between 2020 and 2025, the study employs a phenomenological and thematic analysis grounded in three complementary frameworks, place attachment theory, attention restoration theory, and flow theory, to interpret the emotional, cognitive, and symbolic meanings of return travel. The findings reveal that revisiting familiar destinations is not a passive or convenience-driven behavior but a deliberate and meaningful practice manifested in four interrelated themes: (1) return as a personal ritual, (2) the sense of familiarity as a cognitive release mechanism, (3) the connecting and healing function of memory, and (4) the contrast-complementarity between new and familiar experiences. A fifth, cross-cutting theme highlights how demographic factors such as age and occupation influence the rhythm, interpretation, and emotional depth of return journeys. By integrating psychological and environmental perspectives, this study reframes familiar destinations as affective infrastructures that nurture well-being, identity coherence, and emotional regulation. The research extends theoretical understanding of restorative environments and meaningful travel, while offering practical guidance for destination management: beyond attraction and novelty, sustainable tourism should also cultivate familiarity, emotional resonance, and the transformative value of return.