Tourists and ‘philosophers’: Nature as a medium to consciousness and transcendence in spiritual tourism

Shaohua Wang, Dani Blasco, Amran Hamzah and Bas Verschuuren

Annals of Tourism Research, 2023, vol. 99, issue C

Abstract: Nature is a vital context for transcendent experiences fostering the spiritual dimensions of humankind. Analysing data from protected areas in China, this paper investigates the ways in which spirituality permeates nature-based tourism. A thematic analysis was undertaken to interpret 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with professionals and tourists. Findings enable the construction of a hierarchical framework of spiritual tourism achievement and highlight the need to create links between protected areas, tourists, and ‘mediums’. Nature is acknowledged as a means of overcoming spiritual emptiness in a secular nation where religions function in a limited way and traditional wisdom is undervalued. This study proposes a nature-based, philosophy-oriented tourism development model, which sheds light on theoretical and industrial domains alike.

Keywords: Spiritual tourism; Nature; Protected area; Ancient philosophy; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:anture:v:99:y:2023:i:c:s0160738323000166

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2023.103543

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