The Routledge Handbook of Nature Based Tourism Development

This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of the themes and concepts related to nature-based tourism development. Providing interdisciplinary insights from leading researchers, academics, and practitioners across the globe, it delivers a critical and timely contribution to the knowledge around nature-based tourism.

Nature-based tourism is currently the fastest-growing tourism sector globally and for many destinations, the most significant tourism segment. Organized into five parts, this handbook provides contemporary and cutting-edge perspectives on core topics and explores their linkages. It considers, among others, various natural settings and natural attractions where nature-based tourism can be exercised, including: protected and conserved areas, islands, and mountains; the emerging themes shaping the contemporary nature-based tourism development, including ethics, Sustainable Development Goals, COVID-19 crisis, over-tourism, climate change, resilience; and new approaches toward the visitor management and low-impact experience design, including regenerative and transformative tourism, destination stewardship and pro-environmental behaviour. Part I introduces the concept of nature-based tourism and the emerging challenges in the field. Part II explores the key components in the management and planning of nature-based tourism development. In Part III the handbook focuses on visitor experience design and management and Part IV highlights the impacts of nature-based tourism. Part V examines the future of nature-based tourism and possible solutions to mitigate associated challenges in the field.

The handbook offers a valuable contribution with a systematic outlook of the phenomenon of nature-based tourism and critical perspectives on key concepts, policy, and practice. It shares current knowledge, innovative tools, and sustainable solutions with substantial evidence and societal impact. The book will appeal to students, researchers, and professionals in the fields of tourism, human geography, leisure studies, business studies, and sociology.

Dr Ante Mandic, PhD is an assistant professor of sustainable tourism at the Department of tourism and economy, Faculty of economics, business and tourism, University of Split, Croatia. He is also an affiliated faculty at the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Department, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University. He serves as a manager of SmartCulTour Living Lab and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Ecotourism (Routledge, Taylor and Francis group). He is a member of the Executive Committee and coordinator of Knowledge development at the International Union for Conservation of Nature - World Commission for Protected Areas TAPAS. His teaching predominately focuses on sustainable tourism development. In his research, he pays attention to heritage destinations, particularly protected and conserved natural areas. He has published a number of academic papers in his field in respectful international journals as well as book chapters and books. Dr Mandic has extensive experience working as a researcher or educator on international projects founded by INTERREG MEDITERRANEAN (ShapeTourism; BluTour System; Co-Evolve; DESTIMED (educator) and HORIZON 2020 program (SmartCulTour).

Dr. Sandeep K Walia, PhD is presently working as Professor and Deputy Dean in School of Hotel Management and Tourism at Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He is an alumnus of Himachal Pradesh University Shimla and IGNOU, New Delhi. Dr Sandeep is associated as Visiting Faculty to School of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, Universiti Utara Malaysia Kedah (A QS ranked University), Malaysia and Himalayan Institutes of Alternative Learning (An upcoming Mountain University) in Leh, Laddakh as Curriculum Development / Board of Studies Expert and Visiting Faculty. His area of interest are community based tourism, tourism marketing and cultural tourism. He has worked as Program Director/ Paper Coordinator for the subject Aviation Industry - Ticketing and Frontier Formalities and developed E-content under MHRD Sponsored UGC Project titled EPG Pathshala for the online learning of Post Graduate Level. He has also acted as a faculty coordinator for Peer to Peer: Facebook Global Digital Challenge Spring 2017. Dr. Walia is Founder Editor in Chief of Tourism and Hospitality Research Review (International Journal of LPU), Managing Editor & Editor for the journals Tourism Dimensions’ & ’Tourism Spectrum’ (International Refereed Journals). He has authored 09 Books and 15 Research papers in various Scopus and ABDC Journals.