5: Transformational Power of Mindful Tourism Experiences

As previously stated, being in a state of mindfulness has been related to a variety of psychological health benefits, including higher cognitive capacities, reduced anxiety, stress, depression, and improved immune functioning (Lengyel, 2015b; Ludwig & Kabat-Zinn, 2008). These advantages convince the general public that mindfulness is an effective strategy for enhancing one’s sense of well-being (Chen et al., 2017a). Some of these advantages may also be derived from mindful tourist experiences (Farkic, Isailovic, & Taylor, 2021). On an individual level, this is where mindful tourist experiences can have a transformative effect (Lengyel, 2016). However, that transformational power could be also expected at the level of tourism-related organisations (Kutluk Bozkurt, 2021). It might also be claimed that the tourism industry has the capacity to use mindfulness’ transforming power for social change (Habeeb, 2021; Lengyel, 2015b; Stankov & Filimonau, 2021; Stankov, Filimonau, & Vujičić, 2020). This chapter also includes a noteworthy example of mindfulness’ contribution to the reduction of loneliness, which is a prominent current societal issue. Finally, in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, this part looks at mindfulness as a potentially cost-effective coping approach.