The literature has approached the issue of leisure experience in protected areas from different theoretical and methodological angles, establishing, among other questions, the need to explore approaches capable of explaining the sense of place established by visitors to natural protected areas based on their leisure experiences and the influence exerted on this construction by sociodemographic variables and preferences. Taking a quantitatively driven mixed approach, a total of 704 tourists were surveyed in three national parks in Chile, and the findings included the following: (1) the most significant variable when it comes to constructing senses of place lies in the opportunity for visitors to enjoy their desired leisure experiences; (2) the levels of the different dimensions of sense of place vary according to gender, age, ethnic origin and quality of the leisure offer; and (3) confirmation of the emerging and multidimensional nature of leisure experience in contact with nature.

El presente artículo tiene por objetivo dar a conocer los resultados de una metasíntesis de literatura especializada que ha abordado los sentidos del lugar que adscriben turistas y residentes a áreas silvestres protegidas, y si estos sentidos son similares entre sí, independiente de los contextos socio ambientales donde se desenvuelve la experiencia de ocio y turismo. La literatura consultada fue analizada exhaustiva e interpretativamente con la finalidad de comprender de manera general la construcción social de los sentidos del lugar. Se identificaron cinco categorías, que se consideran sentidos del lugar generales adscritos por turistas y residentes de áreas silvestres protegidas. Estos son: (1) relaciones sociales, (2) naturaleza, (3) experiencia en áreas silvestres protegidas, (4) beneficios e (5) identidad individual, social y comunitaria. Se afirma que este conocimiento puede ser considerado como fundamento para diseñar y desarrollar oportunidades experienciales que fortalezcan la relación de apego entre los turistas y los espacios naturales.

The main objective of this research was to contribute to the understanding of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas. This was pursued through the interpretation and analysis of three variables; the personal notion of “Nature”, perception of benefits, and senses of place put forward by resident and non-resident visitors to three protected wilderness areas in southern Chile. Through a post hoc qualitative, in-depth interview with 36 subjects, connections between the aforementioned variables were established. Among the results, the strength with which the romantic notion of Nature appears linked with leisure experiences was highlighted. With the latter, leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas were identified as the generators of “benefits” and “sense of place”. Finally, four key dimensions of leisure experiences in protected wilderness areas emerged: transcendence, perception of well-being, connection and environmental awareness.