Floros, Christina, Cai, Wenjie ORCID: 0000-0002-1505-7240 , McKenna, Brad and Ajeeb, Dimah (2019) Imagine being off-the-grid: millennials’ perceptions of digital-free travel. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29 (5). pp. 751-766. ISSN 0966-9582 (Print), 1747-7646 (Online) (doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1675676)

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Abstract

The blurred boundaries between home and away facilitated by the ubiquitous connectivity have resulted in restlessness in private life, even on holiday. Disconnecting from technology on holiday could potentially contribute to travellers’ psychological sustainability. This article aims to theorise the perceptions of millennials towards digital-free travel (DFT). We interviewed 17 millennials and applied the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) qualitatively to uncover deep insights into their perceptions. Millennials in the research believe that DFT is beneficial for their well-being, but also have concerns regarding social expectations, technology dependence and environmental support. This article firstly contributes towards the psychological sustainability from the perspective of digital well-being in tourism. Second, the qualitative use of UTAUT in a technology disconnection setting is novel. Finally, the study contributes to the empirical understanding of DFT from the aspect of millennials’ perceptions. The study proposes that mental “away” should be aligned with physical “away” by reducing technology use to achieve psychological sustainability on holiday.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	qualitative, UTAUT, millennials, perception, digital-free travel, psychological sustainability
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business Faculty of Business > Department of Marketing, Events & Tourism Faculty of Business > Tourism Research Centre
Last Modified:	31 Aug 2021 13:26
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/25376

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