Smartphone (dis)connectedness and vacation recovery

Given ubiquitous connectivity provided by modern smartphones and tablets, this research aims to determine whether the use of smartphones for social purposes (work and non-work related) during a vacation enhances or hinders the potential of tourism environment to promote a sense of recovery. In other words, which role does omnipresent connectivity play in facilitating tourists’ recovery? Drawing on Attention-Restoration Theory, Social Presence Theory, and survey data of working Chinese population, we show that frequency of work-related social presence acts as a negative moderator while quality of work and non-work social presence are positive moderators in the relationship between destination restorative qualities and vacation recovery. We discuss how these results problematize the current understanding of tourist experience as liminal and “encapsulating.”