Family tourism improves parents’ well-being and children’s generic skills

Abstract

Family tourism has gained increased attention from researchers in recent years; however, few longitudinal studies have examined the psychological benefits of family tourism. Therefore, this study employed a pretestposttest design to examine the beneficial effects of family tourism on parents’ well-being and their children’s generic skills. We collected data from 217 families with elementary school children who went on family holidays, administering questionnaires to both parents and children. The results showed that parents’ well-being and children’s generic skills increased from before to after the family tourism experience. Moreover, a memorable tourism experience and children’s skill development through family tourism were positively associated with changes in parents’ well-being through family tourism. Our findings highlight the importance of considering multiple perspectives from family members and identify the benefits of their interactions.