A mindful shift: an opportunity for mindfulness-driven tourism in a post-pandemic world

Abstract

Many see the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point for tourism, a chance to reflect on the pressing environmental and socio-economic concerns of the industry, and an opportunity to pinpoint a more desirable direction. However, for tourism to revive as a less impactful and more meaningful industry, more mindful consumers are needed to take factual benefits from the gravity of the current situation. Mindfulness as a practice of bringing a certain quality of attention to moment-by-moment experiences has become an important asset for individuals to cope with the problems of modern life. It is even seen as a significant driver of lifestyle change in Western societies, resulting in an increasing number of more conscious consumers and mindfulness-driven products and services. The COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call and opportunity for the tourism industry to embrace the mindfulness movement, trusting in its capacity to reflect on the current problems and to pave a new way forward towards more compassionate and meaningful tourism for both hosts and guests.

摘要

许多人将新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情视为旅游业的转折点。这让人们有机会反思该行业紧迫的环境和社会经济问题, 并指明未来行业发展更理想的方向。但是, 为了让旅游业恢复成影响小、意义大的产业, 这需要更多正念的消费者从当前严峻的形式中获取到实际收益。正念作为一种对即时即地体验给予一定关注的实践, 已经成为个人应对现代生活问题的重要能力。它甚至被视为西方社会生活方式改变的重要驱动力, 也导致正念的消费者数量的增加与正念驱动类的产品服务的增多。新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情是旅游产业接受正念运动的警钟和机会, 也让人们相信正念具有能力反映现在问题, 开辟一条主人和宾客更富有同情心、意义更深远的旅游业道路。

Keywords:

• Mindfulness
• tourism
• COVID-19
• tourist experiences
• sustainability
• compassionate tourism

关键词:

• 正念；旅游业；新型冠状病毒肺炎；旅游体验；可持续性；富有同情心的旅游业

Disclosure statement

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