Applying a technology acceptance model to understand digital-free tourism

This study investigates the factors influencing residents' attitudes and intentions to engage in digital-free tourism (DFT), a form of tourism that restricts or excludes the use of digital technology to counter excessive reliance on electronics. Through the lens of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), a quantitative design was employed, and data was collected from 1,392 Fijians via an online survey. The findings reveal that performance expectancy is positively associated with attitudes towards this form of tourism, while effort expectancy and societal influence were found to negatively impact attitudes. Collectivism was found to weaken the positive association between performance expectancy and attitudes, and strengthens the association between effort expectancy and attitudes. Uncertainty avoidance was found to weaken the positive relationship between performance expectancy and attitude. The study also revealed that attitudes significantly influence the intention to engage in digital-free tourism, both individually and with companions. This study contributes to the literature by applying UTAUT quantitatively to examine the disconnection of tourists from technology and provides valuable insights for the tourism industry, particularly for businesses, destination management organizations, and marketing consultancies.