Cross-cultural motivations and intentions in digital detox tourism

This study examines the relationship of mindfulness, mental well-being, escape from technostress, social bonding, and novelty-seeking on the intention to participate in digital detox tourism, and evaluates the moderating role of cultural differences between the USA and Kyrgyzstan. A total of 905 respondents were selected (450 from Kyrgyzstan and 455 from the USA) were surveyed and the data analyzed using partial least structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that all factors were positively associate with the intention to engage in digital detox tourism, with mental well-being exhibiting the strongest relationship. Mindfulness, the desire to escape technostress, social bonding, and the pursuit of novelty also play critical predictive roles. Furthermore, multi-group analysis reveals that cultural differences significantly moderate only the relationship between mental well-being and digital detox intention, demonstrating that this core psychological driver is culturally contingent. This highlights the importance of contextualizing well-being frameworks within global tourism models. These findings emphasize the vital importance of digital detox in promoting human sustainability by replenishing psychological and cognitive resources, particularly in highly digitized societies. Furthermore, the results indicate that global tourism policy should prioritize mental well-being initiatives as a strategic element of sustainable development and public health.