Start Date

6-1-2011 4:00 PM

End Date

6-1-2011 4:45 PM

Track

2. Track 2 - Poster Session

Subject Area

Travel and Tourism

Faculty Member

Prof. Xinran Y. Lehto xinran@purdue.edu Prof. Liping Cai liping@purdue.edu

Abstract

Despite the substantial number of research on subjective well-being (SWB) and happiness in recent decades, limited efforts have been devoted to understanding vacation’s effect on travelers’ SWB and happiness. In addition, vacation duration and frequency, two critical travel characteristics in shaping SWB status have not been fully addressed. Based upon the affective theory of happiness, the purpose of the current study was to empirically examine travelers’ SWB with different vacation duration and frequency. The results showed that longer vacation improves travelers’ contentment with specific life domains and affect greater while more frequent vacation improves travelers’ global life satisfaction and contentment wit specific life domains greater. This study may have potential implications for public policy initiative and destination marketing organizations.

Keywords

Duration, Frequency, Subjective well-being, Affective theory, Vacation

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Jan 6th, 4:00 PM Jan 6th, 4:45 PM

Effect of Vacation Duration and Frequency on Travelers’ Subjective Well-being

Despite the substantial number of research on subjective well-being (SWB) and happiness in recent decades, limited efforts have been devoted to understanding vacation’s effect on travelers’ SWB and happiness. In addition, vacation duration and frequency, two critical travel characteristics in shaping SWB status have not been fully addressed. Based upon the affective theory of happiness, the purpose of the current study was to empirically examine travelers’ SWB with different vacation duration and frequency. The results showed that longer vacation improves travelers’ contentment with specific life domains and affect greater while more frequent vacation improves travelers’ global life satisfaction and contentment wit specific life domains greater. This study may have potential implications for public policy initiative and destination marketing organizations.