Tourists and 'philosophers': Nature as a medium to consciousness and transcendence in spiritual tourism
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-structu...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier Ltd
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.utm.my/105026/1/AmranHamzah2023_TouristsandPhilosophersNatureasaMediumtoConsciousness.pdf http://eprints.utm.my/105026/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103543 |
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| Summary: | 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. |
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