A manifesto for mindful tourism: Managing tourist experiences through consciousness

Abstract

Tourism has long been positioned as a driver of sustainable development, yet its implementation often clashes with market pressures, consumer contradictions, and environmental challenges. This viewpoint paper introduces a manifesto for mindful tourism that seeks to reframe the discourse by embedding consciousness at the heart of tourist experience management. Building on evidence from mindfulness studies and tourism scholarship, we argue that mindfulness, defined as purposeful, non-judgmental attention to the present moment, offers transformative potential for both consumers and providers. While tourists frequently exhibit discrepancies between pro-sustainability attitudes and actual behaviors, mindfulness provides a pathway for aligning intentions with actions. Mindful tourist experiences challenge the prevailing hedonic and distracted consumption model by fostering presence, acceptance, and deeper engagement with people, places, and services. They also hold implications for managing tourist well-being, strengthening resilience in hospitality work, and advancing sustainability agendas. Thus, this paper advocates for a theoretical framework that situates mindfulness within contemporary tourism management practice. In doing so, it offers a call to scholars and practitioners to critically examine mindfulness as both a coping mechanism for service challenges and a long-term strategy for industry viability.

Article history: Received (June 5, 2025); Revised (September 7, 2025); Accepted (September 14, 2025); Published online (November 12, 2025)