More than sense of place? Exploring the emotional dimension of rural tourism experiences

Abstract

It is widely suggested that participation in rural tourism is underpinned by a sense of rural place or 'rurality'. However, although nature and the countryside have long been recognised as a source of spiritual or emotional fulfilment, few have explored the extent to which tourism, itself often claimed to be a sacred experience, offers an emotional / spiritual dimension in the rural context. This paper addresses that literature gap. Using in-depth interviews with rural tourists in the English Lake District, it explores the extent to which, within respondents' individual understanding of spirituality, a relationship exists between sense of place and deeper, emotional experiences and, especially, whether participation in rural tourism may induce spiritual or emotional responses. The research revealed that all respondents felt a strong attachment to the Lake District; similarly, and irrespective of their openness to spirituality, engaging in rural tourism activities resulted in highly emotive experiences for all respondents, the description / interpretation of such experiences being determined by individual 'beliefs'. However, sense of place was not a prerequisite to emotional or spiritual experiences. Being in and engaging with the landscape -effectively becoming part of it -especially through physical activity is fundamental to emotional responses.

What fosters awe-inspiring experiences in nature-based tourism destinations?

“…It is this spontaneity that is said to distinguish extraordinary events from the everyday and forms a large contribution of the perception of the experience as being extraordinary (Farber & Hall, 2007). Reflection is also a chief contributor to these types of experiences, with individuals able to reflect on important events or feel they have the time for introspection when triggered by emotional cues in the environment, such as sunsets, beautiful scenery and vistas (Arnould & Price, 1993;Farber & Hall, 2007;Jefferies & Lepp, 2012).…”

“…Extraordinary experiences are highly memorable and emotionally charged and intense. They may be the result of encountering something new or original and are more likely to be triggered by events that are unplanned, spontaneous and unusual (Farber & Hall, 2007;Jefferies & Lepp, 2012). It is this spontaneity that is said to distinguish extraordinary events from the everyday and forms a large contribution of the perception of the experience as being extraordinary (Farber & Hall, 2007).…”

“…More common is the use of extraordinary experiences, often used interchangeably with transcendent experiences, which describe the experiences that individuals have that hold special meaning and can be associated with personal growth and development of the individual (Jefferies & Lepp, 2012). Extraordinary experiences are highly memorable and emotionally charged and intense.…”

“…Generally, awe itself is not explicably studied; rather, awe is often listed as one of many emotions experienced or used interchangeably with other strong emotive descriptors (Table 1). For example, Davis and Gatersleben (2013) use awe as part of their emotional appraisal of experiences; Hughes (2013) as an emotional response to viewing wildlife; Faber and Hall (2007) as one of a number of affective or emotional states; and Jefferies and Lepp (2012) as a type of spontaneous emotion. Other than Coghlan et al's (2012) proposed framework for examining awe in tourism, little research has been conducted that explicitly examines what fosters awe-inspiring experiences in tourism settings.…”

A aliança indissociável entre o turismo cultural e o turismo em espaço rural na Madeira

“…Ao invés, ela é uma parte integrante e pode mesmo constituir-se como um dos seus motores de desenvolvimento" (Henriques, 2008, p. 29 Nesta arena de discussão, o turismo em espaço rural é outro conceito que tem apresentado diferentes definições (Bel, Lacroix, Lyser, Rambonilaza & Turpin, 2015;Jepson & Sharpley, 2015;Santana-Jiménez, Sun, Hernandez & Suárez-Veja, 2015;Hernandez-Maestro. & González-Benito, 2013;MacDonald & Jolliffe, 2003).…”