Mindful tourism practices and eudaimonic well-being: A moderated mediation of stress level

Abstract

The study aims to explore the relationship between mindful tourism practices and eudaimonic well-being of tourists. The study explains how prior stress level moderates the relationship between mindful tourism practices and self-awareness and how self-awareness mediates the relationship between mindful tourism practices and self-actualisation. Further, the study also explores how self-actualisation leads to self-transcendence and ultimately how self-transcendence leads to eudaimonic well-being. The analysis was performed using VB-SEM from a structured survey of 669 tourists (both Indians and foreigners) who visited Rishikesh (India) for mindful tourism. The findings highlight that self-awareness partially mediates the relationship between mindful tourism practices and self-actualisation and stress level negatively moderates this mediated relationship. Further positive influence of self-actualisation on self-transcendence and self-transcendence on eudaimonic well-being was found. The study contributes to the emerging body of study in exploring basic (self-awareness) to advance level (self-actualisation and self-transcendence) mindful tourism experiences using the extended Maslow’s need hierarchy model. Also, supported by self-determination theory, the study adds a underexplored perspective by exploring eudemonic well-being, an important outcome in the context of mindful tourism. Practically, the findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on mindful tourism by highlighting its transformative potential in enhancing tourists’ psychological well-being. The study offers valuable implications for tourism practitioners and policymakers to reposition mindful tourism as a meaningful, long-term contributor to individual and societal well-being.