NS34 Session 17

In a world where tourism is increasingly intertwined with environmental pressures, shifting societal expectations, and growing demands for sustainability and climate neutrality, the pursuit of understanding visitors has become a vital foundation for strategic and sustainable tourism development. Nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation destinations are faced with rapid socio-ecological change. Therefore, insights into visitor behaviour, motivations and experiences offer new possibilities for rethinking how nature-based tourism creates value. Nature-based tourism has the potential to support communities, offer seasonal offers throughout the year and balance this with conservation goals. 

Building on these foundations, the session examines how insight-driven approaches inform the practical and strategic dimensions of nature-based tourism.  A broad range of visitor insight methods such as visitor monitoring technologies, mobile or GPS-based tracking, social media data analysis, and behavioural interventions, enhances understanding of visitors and can support more purposeful service design and innovation, contributing to the resilience of nature-based businesses and the vitality of regional economies. At the same time, deeper awareness of visitor patterns and preferences highlights the pressures placed on shared infrastructures and natural assets, underscoring the need for thoughtful management of trails, facilities, and other public goods that enable outdoor recreation. Improved visitor understanding also opens opportunities to foster more responsible patterns of use: communication, education, interpretation, and engagement can encourage behaviours that sustain ecological health, respect cultural heritage, and strengthen the reciprocal relationship between visitors and the environments they encounter. In addition, the session draws attention to environmental qualities that shape restorative experiences and increasingly inform longterm stewardship and destination planning. 

We welcome presentation proposals from diverse perspectives, including governmental, business, community, and individual viewpoints, to explore the wideranging implications of improved visitor understanding for naturebased tourism. The session encourages innovative and interdisciplinary insights that advance how enhanced visitor insight can support more sustainable, equitable, and resilient tourism futures.