The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
What fosters awe-inspiring experiences in nature-based tourism destinations?
Open accessAbstract
Awe, an intense, and usually positive emotion often experienced by individuals visiting nature-based tourism destinations, has the potential to nurture strong connections between individuals and their environment. Despite this, awe research has been neglected in the tourism literature, especially in relation to the aspects or features that foster awe-inspiring experiences. This study sought to rectify this by focusing on such experiences in the remote, unique Kimberley region in north-western Australia. A total of 49 tourist interviews were conducted to ascertain their responses to the question “what has been your most awe-inspiring experience and why?” Responses highlighted five distinct facets contributing to respondents’ awe-inspiring experiences: marine fauna, aesthetics, ecological phenomena, vast geological landscapes and reflective/perspective moments. Future research should focus on exploring the applicability of these facets to other nature-based tourism destinations.
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“While the ubiquity of Eastern gray squirrels reduces their novelty, the emergence of a variation in their pelage coloration may change the way they are generally regarded by communities (Chardonnet et al., 2002;Pearce et al., 2017).”
From Of Rarity and Symbolism: Understanding Human Perceptions of Charismatic Color Morphs (2024) · cites this paper as Pearce et al., 2017
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Items 101–107 of 107
Virtual journeys, real emotions: Investigating awe in VR tourism experiences
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“For example, participants have claimed that looking at the sea can help regulate their emotions and promote positive emotions of awe, joy, happiness, content-ment and nostalgia (e.g., Jellard & Bell, 2021; Pearce et al., 2017; Severin et al., 2022).”
Skibins, J. C., Richardson, L. A., Lewis, L. Y., & Fitz, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Sustainable Tourism · doi:10.3389/frsut.2023.1097511
“And it is these, highly individualized encounters, that can help facilitate a bond with that species, which in turn can improve conservation behaviors within tourists (Pearce et al., 2017).”
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Jing-wei, W. A. N. G., Le-ying, Z. H. O. U., ZHANG, J.-H., & Pei-jia, W. A. N. G. (2026) · 自然资源学报 · doi:10.31497/zrzyxb.20260515
Metadata
- Authors
- Pearce, J., Strickland-Munro, J., & Moore, S. A.
- Affiliations
- Edith Cowan University (AU)
- Murdoch University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Pearce, Joanna
- Venue
- Journal of Sustainable Tourism
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-08-02
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 362-378
- ISSN
- 0966-9582 (ISSN-L)
- 1747-7646
- OpenAlex
- W2475923659
- Cited by
- 119
- References
- 48
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4
- FWCI
- 14.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- ro.ecu.edu.au
- Locations
- Journal of Sustainable Tourism (publishedVersion)
- Murdoch University Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- Australasian Journal of Paramedicine (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Kimberley Marine Research Program, administered by the Western Australian Marine Sciences Institution
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management › Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management › Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geotourism and Geoheritage Conservation
- Keywords
- awe, nature-based tourism, tourist experience, marine fauna, landscape aesthetics, geological landscapes, perspective taking, human-environment connection, Kimberley region
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