Research trends on digital detox holidays: a bibliometric analysis, 2012-2020

Abstract

The addiction problem associated with the overuse of technology has spread to tourism, with recent literature suggesting that tourists may want “disconnection” while traveling. This study, therefore, focuses on the new and poorly understood concept of the digital detox holiday. There is confusion in the literature since there are many terms to refer to it, such as digital-free tourism, unplugged tourism, and disconnected tourism. This study clarifies digital detox holiday as a tourism form. First, based on a review of previous research, a digital detox holiday model was proposed to resolve the confusion. Second, publications in Google and Scopus databases (2012-2020) were reviewed by bibliometric analysis and science mapping analysis via VOSviewer. The results revealed that the digital detox holiday can be considered a form of digital-free tourism and unplugged tourism. The results also showed that it is a recent research topic, with an increase in relevant publications since 2016, especially after 2018. Consequently, the publication trend is likely to accelerate further in the future. This study contributes to the literature by describing the characteristics of the digital detox holiday and visually mapping publications to highlight trends.