A Comparison of Attitudes Toward Nomadic Tourism from the Perspectives of Rational Choice and Conspicuous Consumption Theories.

Abstract

This study aims to examine the underlying motivations of the rapidly growing phenomenon of digital nomadism, referred to as nomadic tourism, through an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in Rational Choice Theory and Conspicuous Consumption Theory. Digital nomads are defined as individuals who continuously travel without geographical constraints by utilizing remote working opportunities. Understanding the reasons behind adopting this lifestyle is of significant importance for the tourism sector in terms of destination development and strategic sustainability.

From the perspective of rational choice theory, digital nomads are assumed to seek to maximize economic benefits (such as lower living costs), career opportunities, and quality of life when selecting destinations. On the other hand, conspicuous consumption theory suggests that individuals’ consumption behaviors are shaped not only by utility but also by efforts related to social status, personal branding, differentiation, and self-expression through experiences. In this context, the display of travel experiences via social media may manifest as status acquisition, personal branding, differentiation, and experience accumulation. As large-scale empirical research on this topic remains limited, the existing literature generally examines rational and conspicuous consumption motivations separately, while demographic differences in these motivations have also been largely overlooked. Accordingly, this study aims to address these gaps by employing advanced statistical techniques, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to holistically examine the effects of rational and conspicuous consumption motivations on digital nomads’ attitudes toward nomadic tourism.