Mindfulness oasis: Cultivating mental wellness through Zen meditation retreats for tourists with mental and psychological vulnerabilities
Tourism Management June 7, 2025 YiTing Zhou, Zhiwei Lin, IpKin Anthony Wong 7 citations
Zen retreats reduce mental vulnerabilities and enhance well-being simultaneously, according to a multimethod qualitative study of online traveler reflections, communications, onsite observations, and interviews. Tourists seek personal betterment, connections with kindred spirits, and sacred experiences, leading to inner transformation facilitated by Zen masters and restorative environments. The findings go beyond positive psychology alone, introducing a temporal logic linking mental vulnerabilities, Zen practices, and therapeutic methods. The study reveals alignment between Zen tourism's restorative methods and mainstream psychotherapy techniques, grounding experiential narratives in established psychological theories and suggesting Zen retreats could serve as a potential social healthcare approach.