Key Aspects of Leisure Experiences in Protected Wilderness Areas: Notions of Nature, Senses of Place and Perceived Benefits

Andrés Ried, María Jesús Monteagudo, Pelayo Benavides, Anne Le Bon, Stephanie Carmody and Rodrigo Santos
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Andrés Ried: Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 493000, Chile
María Jesús Monteagudo: Leisure Studies Institute, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. University of Deusto, 24, 48007 Bilbao, Spain
Pelayo Benavides: Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 493000, Chile
Anne Le Bon: Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 493000, Chile
Stephanie Carmody: Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 493000, Chile
Rodrigo Santos: Center for Local Development (CEDEL), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Villarrica 493000, Chile

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: The main objective of this research was to contribute to the understanding of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas. This was pursued through the interpretation and analysis of three variables; the personal notion of “Nature”, perception of benefits, and senses of place put forward by resident and non-resident visitors to three protected wilderness areas in southern Chile. Through a post hoc qualitative, in-depth interview with 36 subjects, connections between the aforementioned variables were established. Among the results, the strength with which the romantic notion of Nature appears linked with leisure experiences was highlighted. With the latter, leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas were identified as the generators of “benefits” and “sense of place”. Finally, four key dimensions of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas emerged: transcendence, perception of well-being, connection and environmental awareness.

Keywords: nature; leisure; sense of place; benefits; sustainable beliefs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:8:p:3211-:d:346280

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