The moderating role of leisure participation in work–leisure conflict for the reduction of burnout in hotels and travel agencies

This study investigates the influence of work–leisure conflict (WLC) on the performance of employees in Egyptian hotels and travel agencies through the mediating role of employee burnout related to emotional exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy. In addition, this study examines how leisure participation moderates the effects of WLC on both employee burnout and performance. Data used for this study were collected from 788 hotel and travel agencies operating in Egypt. Given the purpose of the study, a nonlinear partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) was used to analyse the data. The findings support the proposed model and thus indicated that WLC has a negative influence on the performance of employees. Moreover, it has also been determined that leisure participation plays an important role in decreasing the negative influence of WLC on emotional exhaustion, cynicism and reduced professional efficacy of employees in hotels and travel agencies. These findings hold important implications for tourism and hospitality firms.