Regenerative leisure and tourism: a pathway for mindful futures

ABSTRACT

The emergence of regenerative tourism has gained worldwide momentum to raise awareness of the environmental and sociocultural impacts of recreational activities in host environments. The article examines leisure as human behaviour in its past, present and future perspectives to identify the current and future avenues of regeneration in leisure and tourist experiences. Although regenerative practices are much older than the COVID-19 pandemic, the current situation necessitates a focus on regenerative understanding that should be integrated into local systems both in the short and long term. Results suggest that to move beyond sustainability and the confines of capitalism, regeneration must be planned and developed in line with Indigenous values. Its effectiveness in reshaping leisure and tourism practices will depend on a collective commitment to finding innovative solutions that benefit the natural world and the diverse communities that interact with it because regeneration looks holistically at the relationship between humans and nature.

Résumé

L’émergence du tourisme régénérateur a pris de l’ampleur dans le monde entier pour sensibiliser aux impacts environnementaux et socioculturels des activités de loisirs dans les environnements d’accueil. L’article examine les loisirs en tant que comportement humain dans ses perspectives passées, présentes et futures afin d’identifier les voies actuelles et futures de la régénération dans les loisirs et les expériences touristiques. Bien que les pratiques de régénération soient bien plus anciennes que la pandémie de COVID-19, la situation actuelle nécessite de mettre l’accent sur la compréhension de la régénération qui devrait être intégrée dans les systèmes locaux à court et à long terme. Les résultats suggèrent que pour aller au-delà de la durabilité et des limites du capitalisme, la régénération doit être planifiée et développée en accord avec les valeurs autochtones. Son efficacité dans le remodelage des pratiques de loisirs et de tourisme dépendra de l’engagement collectif à trouver des solutions innovantes qui profitent au monde naturel et à ses diverses communautés, car la régénération envisage de manière holistique la relation entre les humains et la nature.

KEYWORDS:

• Conscious travel
• leisure experiences
• regenerative travel
• tourism transformation

MOTS CLÉS:

• voyage conscient
• expériences de loisirs
• tourisme régénérateur
• transformation du tourisme

Acknowledgement

This research is made possible thanks to the funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand Government under the Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francesc Fusté-Forné

Francesc Fusté-Forné is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Business, University of Girona. He is undertaking research on culinary and rural heritages from a marketing and travel perspective. Particularly, he focuses on the food tourism phenomenon, making connections among food identities, landscapes, regional development, rural activities, street food, and tourist experiences. He also conducts applied research on the role of gastronomy in relation to mass media and as a driver of social changes.

Asif Hussain

Asif Hussain, PhD, is an indigenous person and the founding director of Sustainability and Resilience Institute of New Zealand. His research focus is on regenerative tourism, sustainable tourism, indigenous studies, infrastructure development, climate change, sustainability, and resilience. Asif is a dedicated entrepreneur, social worker, and philanthropist, and has developed innovative solutions and facilitated numerous community projects that has led to life-changing outcomes.