Publication Cover
Tourism Geographies
An International Journal of Tourism Space, Place and Environment
Volume 24, 2022 - Issue 6-7
912
Views
3
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Special Section: Health and Wellbeing

Lifestyle skiing contributes to health and eudaimonic well-being: an emergent Chinese lifestyle mobility‌

&
Pages 1134-1152 | Received 02 Sep 2019, Accepted 04 Jul 2021, Published online: 02 Aug 2021
 

Abstract

In an increasingly mobile society, a ‘new mobilities paradigm’ examining the connection between mobility and lifestyle is gaining prominence. However, it is realized that the current work on the conceptualization of lifestyle mobilities has yet to account adequately for the diversity in this emerging area. Echoing to the ‘fluidity and malleability’ of contemporary social phenomena, and in response to the academic interest on alternative mobilities with different velocity and rhythm, an emergent sport mobilities of lifestyle skiing is focused, and its relations with personal health and well-being are examined. Guided by Gatrell’s therapeutic mobilities framework, exploration highlights how the construct incorporating the three components of activity, sociality and context is interconnected and further mobilised to shape well-being, under a eudaimonic perspective. Employing a constructivist qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews with skiers were carried out in Chongli district of Zhangjiakou city, one of the hosting places for 2022 Winter Olympics. The results show that, the determinants of autonomy, personal growth, positive relationship, environmental mastery, self-acceptance and purpose in life in the ‘Psychological Well-Being Scale’ are significant to influence well-being experience, while nature connection is proposed as a complementary critical determinant. Ultimately, mobilities is becoming a key element in the new-found empowerment to search for self in the recreational realm, and to escape from ‘routine everyday life’ in contemporary China. Theoretically, an exploratory conceptual framework of psychological well-being in lifestyle-sport mobilities is proposed. Practically, the findings are illuminated to suggest better practices that can foster the skiing industry and improve the individual skiing experience.

摘要

流动性持续发展的社会背景下, “新的流动性范式”作为解析流动和生活方式关联性的方法日益受到关注。然而, 一些学者开始认识到生活方式流动的概念框架及现有研究在面对这一快速发展的领域中的不足。基于当代社会现象的流动性和可展性特征, 回应学术v界对具有不同的节奏和韵律的替代性流动方式的关注, 本研究聚焦一种新兴的运动流动性——生活方式型滑雪, 及其与个体健康和幸福感的关系。在Gatrell(2013)提出的康复性流动框架的指导下, 研究分析该框架中活动、社会、情境三部分要素的相互关联、流动性转化的动态过程, 及其塑造实现主义视角下的幸福感的方法。研究采用建构主义的定性研究方法, 选取2022年冬奥运会赛区之一——张家口市崇礼区为研究案例, 针对滑雪者开展深度访谈。研究发现, “心理幸福感尺度”中的六项决定因素, 即自主性、个体成长、积极关系、环境掌控、自我接纳、人生目标对幸福感体验产生显著影响, 此外自然联系是关键的补充性因素。归根结底, 当代中国背景下, 流动性日益成为个体在休闲领域寻找自我、逃离程序化的日常生活的关键赋能因素。理论上, 本研究提出了休闲运动流动性中的心理幸福感探索性概念框架。实践上, 本研究对滑雪产业如何更好地改进服务措施并增强个体滑雪体验提出建议。

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 41771145], by Philosophy and Social Science Planning Foundation of Guangdong [Grant No. GD19YGL01, 2018GWQNCX006‌], and by Basic and Applied Research Foundation of Guangdong [Grant No. 2019A1515110940]. Major Project of National Social Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 20ZDA067].

Notes on contributors

Yuefang Wu

Yuefang Wu was awarded her PhD in Tourism Management from Sun Yat-sen University in 2016. She is a lecturer in tourism management in Foshan Polytechnic, China. Her research focuses on healthy aging in tourism mobilities, sport, mobilities and wellbeing, and recreational second home and sustainability.

Jingjing Yang

Jingjing Yang has international teaching experience, in UK, China and New Zealand. She has worked not only in academics, but also in government, tourism industry, tourism planning and consultancy. She started to research ski tourism in China in 2005, and coauthored the first book in ski tourism in Chinese language in 2007.

This article is part of the following collections:
Health and Wellbeing

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 302.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.