Exploring shopping tourism as an adjunct therapy to improve mental health: Evidence from PLS‐SEM and NCA

Abstract While previous tourism studies have examined mental health, additional research is necessary. Drawing on Rogers' theory of person‐centered therapy and self‐determination theory, this study explores shopping tourism as an adjunct therapy to improve mental health. 309 residents from Hong Kong who had shopping tourism experiences were surveyed. Partial Least Squares‐Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‐SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) were adopted. The results showed that shopping hedonism, consisting of memorable and fashion shopping, and tourism escapism had specific effects on tourists' self‐congruence and eventually enhanced mental health. While tourism escapism was shown through PLS‐SEM to be non‐significant in driving shopping tourists' self‐congruence, it proved to be a necessary condition of such self‐congruence in NCA. This study recommends that government agencies promote shopping tourism as a non‐conventional way of enhancing people's mental health. Destinations can also attract shopping tourists from the perspective of promoting their mental health.