The impact of digital tourism marketing on psychological recovery of cancer survivors: An empirical study from the perspective of sports tourism
Abstract
Background: Cancer survivors’ psychological recovery requires not only medical treatment but also psychological support and lifestyle interventions. Wellness tourism, particularly sports tourism, can improve psychological states while promoting physical health. However, mechanisms through which digital tourism marketing influences psychological recovery remain inadequately studied. Objective: To explore how digital tourism marketing affects cancer survivors’ wellness tourism motivation and analyze the mediating role of sports tourism participation in psychological recovery (psychological well-being and resilience). Methods: Questionnaire data were collected from 386 cancer patients in recovery at a tertiary hospital. Structural Equation Modeling tested direct effects of digital tourism marketing on wellness tourism motivation and mediating effects of sports tourism participation. Bootstrap method was used for mediation testing, and multi-group analysis compared differences across recovery stages. Results: Digital tourism marketing significantly enhanced wellness tourism motivation (β = 0.52, p < 0.001). Sports tourism participation positively affected psychological well-being (β = 0.42, p < 0.001) and psychological resilience (β = 0.38, p < 0.001), partially mediating the relationship between wellness tourism motivation and psychological recovery. Multi-group analysis revealed stronger path coefficients for early-stage survivors (<6 months) compared to late-stage survivors (>12 months). Conclusion: Digital tourism marketing improves cancer survivors’ psychological well-being and resilience by stimulating wellness tourism motivation and promoting sports tourism participation. This study provides theoretical foundations and practical guidance for wellness tourism product design, psychological interventions, and digital marketing strategy development for cancer survivors.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yuyue Liao
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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