Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites | 2026
Authors: Lengyel A.; Bácsne É.B.; Müller A.; Kinczel A.
DOI: 10.30892/gtg.65215-1720
Journal: Geojournal of Tourism and Geosites
Year: 2026
Publisher: Editura Universitatii din Oradea
Document Type: Article
Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access
Cited by: 0
This study examines the relationship between workplace well-being and travel behavior among Hungarian Generation Z employees. Drawing on a large-scale 2022 survey of 1,143 workers, the analysis focuses on the 568 respondents aged 18–24, representing the youngest cohort in the labor market. The study integrates workplace structures, preventive health behaviors, and lifestyle orientations into models of tourism engagement, offering a multidimensional perspective on how occupational conditions shape leisure mobility. We used a quantitative research method, conducting a structured questionnaire survey on an online platform among randomly selected Hungarian Generation Z employees. The responses were processed using analytical techniques, such as correlation and regression analysis. Descriptive results show that holiday, event, and visiting tourism are the most frequent forms of travel, while health and wellness tourism are more selective. Motivational ratings highlight tranquility, food quality, and proximity to nature as the most valued destination attributes, pointing to a restorative orientation consistent with preventive lifestyles. Exploratory factor analysis of nearly 200 workplace and lifestyle indicators yielded eleven latent dimensions, ranging from benefits and satisfaction to preventive behaviors and stress factors. Ordinal logistic regressions demonstrated that preventive health practices were the strongest predictors of participation across multiple tourism forms, while workplace benefits significantly increased engagement in holiday, wellness, and event tourism. Heterogeneity within the cohort was evident, as leisure profiles and resource constraints produced divergent travel patterns. The findings extend theory by linking workplace well-being and tourism within a unified framework and demonstrate the utility of lifestyle-integrated models. The study reveals that preventive health behaviors emerge as the single strongest predictor of tourism engagement across multiple travel types, while workplace benefits function as critical enablers-particularly for cohorts facing financial constraints-highlighting tourism as an integrated dimension of occupational well-being rather than isolated leisure consumption. Practical implications highlight the role of employers, policymakers, and tourism providers in aligning preventive health orientations with sustainable and restorative travel opportunities. © 2026 by the authors.onal (CC BY 4.0) Licen.
Generation Z; Hungary; preventive health; tourism behavior; wellness tourism; workplace well-being