VACATION AND WELL-BEING: A STUDY OF CHINESE TOURISTS

Based on the theoretical foundation of subjective well-being and theories of happiness, the current study conducted a longitudinal quasi-experiment in Southeast China to investigate the effect of vacation on the different dimensions of subjective well-being. The results showed that Chinese tourists’ chronic subjective well-being did not change after the vacation. Their occasion-specific subjective well-being, however, shows a pattern where their sense of well-being was boosted immediately after the vacation and faded after two months. Theoretical contributions and practical implications for Chinese public policy makers, tourism managers, and tourists are discussed.

► The study examined the variability of tourists’ subjective well-being on three dimensions.
► A longitudinal perspective on the within-subjective differences was provided.
► The results distinguished the change patterns of chronic and occasion-specific subjective well-being.
► Chinese subjective well-being characteristics and their changes associated with vacation were discussed.