Sustainable visitor experience design in nature-based tourism: an introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

Experiences are at the heart of nature-based tourism – without good experiences, demand dwindles, and as a result, the nature-based tourism industry suffers. However, the naturebased tourism community does not dictate visitor experiences, as these are constructed in visitors’ minds, but instead sets up and arranges the conditions for visitors to do so. Thus, the current Special Issue was designed to bring to the forefront of nature-based tourism research the challenges of designing sustainable nature-based tourism experience opportunities. Natural and cultural heritage is at the heart of the nature-based tourism experience, and that is where these experience opportunities begin; but, as the research in this volume shows, quality experiences are often dependent on more than that heritage. As we noted in our original call for papers, nature-based tourism stands at the intersection of tourism, outdoor recreational activities and natural areas. Because of its importance to economies and the natural environment, we need a better understanding of its sustainability, what it entails, and how quality experience opportunities can be designed and implemented. To do this, we need enhanced measurement tools and methodologies, as well as an understanding of the relationships between experience quality and conservation goals, the transmission of benefits to communities, and knowledge about natural features and processes. Understanding the implications for operating revenue and the providers’ perspective on nature-based tourism vis-à-vis other potential uses of nature-dominated areas is also critical. Indeed, the knowledge gap is enormous; but our understanding of relationships is still relatively small. Mandić andMcCool (2022) deliver the inventory and assessment of the last fifteen years of the experience-design research and suggest ten significant lessons learned from research over this period. This paper provides an overall context for the following cases, illustrating the various dimensions nature-based tourism takes when understanding what is involved in delivering innovative opportunities for nature-based tourism experiences and assessing their success. Identifying an experience’s components is essential to designing opportunities. For example, Spring (2022) provides creative looks into the motivations and dimensions of nature-based visitor experiences. Further, understanding if experience opportunities are satisfying is also essential to managing such experience opportunities adaptively. For example, Sivakami et al. (2022) reported on developing an impact management model in Eravikulam National Park in India to tackle the factors affecting overall experiences negatively. Loyalty has become one method of measuring satisfaction. Relying on unique contexts, two papers, including Mock et al. (2022) and Dybsand et al. (2021), provide insights into this methodology and explain the contextual dependence of the concept. Various design considerations come into play during the visitor design, implementation and evaluation process. Nature-based visitor experiences result in outcomes not just for the visitor but also for the resource and social systems. Lengieza et al. (2022) argue that participation in nature-based tourism leads to specific psychological outcomes, leading to a greater appreciation of the natural and social systems involved in the experience and,