Digital Disconnection in Tourism Experiences
Summary
Digital disconnection in tourism describes the intentional separation of travellers from online connectivity and digital devices to foster deeper engagement with destinations, enhance well-being and recalibrate the balance between virtual and physical experiences. This phenomenon encompasses a spectrum of practices, from brief digital breaks and device curfews to fully immersive digital-free tourism packages. Research has shown that detaching from constant connectivity can reduce stress, promote social interaction and heighten sensory awareness of place. Motivations for disconnection range from seeking mental restoration and fostering authentic encounters to challenging prevailing norms of perpetual availability. Digital disconnection also holds practical implications for destination managers and service providers, who may design infrastructure, services and marketing strategies that accommodate unplugged experiences while ensuring safety and comfort. Globally, the trend intersects with sustainable tourism, as reducing digital dependencies can encourage lower-impact travel behaviours, support local cultures and foster environmental mindfulness.
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Digital Disconnection in Tourism Experiences publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in digital disconnection in tourism experiences across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Digital disconnection: Voluntary withdrawal from online connectivity and digital devices during a tourism experience.
Digital detox: Structured refraining from digital technologies to promote mental restoration and sensory immersion.
Digital Free Tourism (DFT): Travel experiences deliberately designed to minimise or eliminate internet access and device use.
Analogization: Practices and infrastructures that create or emphasise a distinction between analog (non-digital) and digital modalities in tourism.
Actor-Network Theory (ANT): A framework for analysing how human and non-human actors co-construct experiences and meaning within networks.
References
- Tourism digital detox and digital-free tourism: What do we know? What do we not know? Where should we be heading?. Journal of Tourism Futures (2024).
- Digital detox tourism: Practices of analogization. New Media & Society (2022).
- Disconnection in nature-based tourism experiences: an actor-network theory approach. Annals of Leisure Research (2022).
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