Rest as a reason to travel: understanding domestic sleep tourism intentions

Sleep tourism, an emerging travel trend centred on rest and recovery, remains under-examined in domestic contexts, with limited understanding of the motivational drivers shaping local travellers’ sleep-focused intentions. This study investigates how destination attributes influence perceived sleep quality and travel intentions. Using data from 412 Fijian residents (57% women; 69% between ages 18 and 44; 64% college educated) collected via mall intercepts, we analyzed relationships through structural equation modelling. Results show that destination environment and infrastructure positively influence the destination image of sleep tourism. However, infrastructure does not significantly affect perceived well-being. Perceived sleep quality strengthens both destination image and well-being, and destination image, in turn, positively impacts well-being. Health consciousness moderates the link between sleep quality and well-being. Additionally, both destination image and perceived well-being predict intentions to engage in sleep tourism. This study advances the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework by positioning sleep quality as a central stimulus in destination image formation, reframing ‘sleepy’ attributes as positive tourism cues, and identifying health consciousness as a key moderator influencing well-being and travel intentions. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for destination managers, accommodation providers, and marketers to design and promote environments that enhance sleep quality, supporting sustainable domestic tourism development.