Ross Taplin
Nature-based tourism depends on natural environments such as forests, but human activity can damage these environments making this tourism unsustainable. Alternatively, human changes to the environment can become tourist destinations. Unlike past research that typically examines nature-based tourism and tourism to mine sites separately, this study makes a direct comparison between these two forms of tourism. A randomised hypothetical trip to a forest using a 24 factorial design within an online survey is used to test the causal effects of: (a) seeing mine sites; (b) seeing a map of current and historical mining activity; (c) narrative positive to mining activity; and (d) narrative negative to mining activity. Results show intention to visit is significantly decreased by photos of mine sites and negative narrative and significantly increased by the map. Respondent demographics moderate all effects. Results support affect theory and hedonistic tourism as these changes in intention to visit are reflected in corresponding changes to emotions such as enjoyment and distress. Implications for sustainable tourism include the need to protect the natural environment and hence tourism and mining can be competing industries.