VACATION AND WELL-BEING: A STUDY OF CHINESE TOURISTS

Abstract

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.