Bali resort bans poolside cell phone use in effort to enforce relaxation
In our digital world ruled by social media, you have not traveled if you do not fill your Instagram and Snapchat account with destination photographs. One Bali resort is breaking the status quo and putting a stop to this notion.
River Pool Ethos in Bali
The Anaya Resort and Spa in Bali, Indonesia has introduced a new program titled “In the Moment” that pushes for a digital detox while soaking up the sun in their pool area. On the resort’s website, Ayana claims: “The ethos of River Pool is to create a place of tranquility, where our guests can truly relax and be ‘in the moment’.
Through this program, they have enforced a rule that bans poolside cell phone and digital device usage at one of their 12 pools. All guests found at the poolside area between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are required disconnect and be in the moment.
Instead, they offer their guests non-digital games like a deck of card, Jenga, Sudoku, Chess, and UNO and encourage others to read magazines or simply catch a tan. Besides the games, they also have signature cocktails that are sure to grab their guest’s attention.
Why detox?
We need digital detox. It is no secret that there is a digital addiction that sweeping majority, if not all of us. People are either constantly checking the news, compulsively scrolling through social media, or are incessantly glued to their screens for one reason or the other.
Research conducted on American travelers by the OnePoll marketing group indicated that 53% of American holiday-makers rarely turn off their phones during their adventures. More than 20% check their phones hourly when on vacation while 14% check twice per hour. Close to 8% said that they check their phones more than 20 times in under an hour. Researchers defined this phenomenon as nomophobia.
With such statistics, the Anaya digital detox is even more necessary. At the Bali resort, the main agenda with their digital detox is to break this “21st-century disease” and encourage guests to be in the moment and absorb their surroundings.
Digital Detox Movement around the Globe
Numerous other destinations and sights are also joining the digital detox movement. Vienna launched their campaign at the beginning of the month with a bold move. They replaced one of the city’s most photographed and famous paintings, Klimt’s ‘Kiss’ with a replica that was branded with a tagline that reads “See Klimt. Not #Klimt.” The Director of the gallery said that they decided to join the campaign because they found themselves in the middle of a war between digital communications and art.
Final Thoughts on Detox in Bali
Another recent survey by Travelzoo showed that 30% of respondents booked holiday destinations on the basis they would make great posts for their social media pages. As such, not everyone is keen on Bali Resort Anaya’s so-called digital detox holiday.
However, there are a number of travelers who are very keen on the trend and the idea of disconnecting during a trip couldn’t sound better.
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