Tourism and Mental Health: Foundations, Frameworks, and Futures

Abstract

Tourism contributes to mental health. We could: recognize, measure, value, and market those contributions; analyze components and design products to maximize mental health benefits; and use mental health benefits in tourism industry marketing and lobbying. If we measure benefits to health-research standards, then tourism could also gain commercial opportunities within the health sector. Currently, there are widely differing bodies of evidence within different tourism subsectors, reflecting historical research emphases. Music, museums, and shopping malls have been identified as therapeutic for some. Nature tourism therapies have been tested extensively, with a higher standard of evidence. Adventure tourism has been analyzed principally from a phenomenological perspective, indicating powerful psychological effects. Many mental health therapies require continuing behavioral change. Tourism research could contribute to these therapies, since it includes detailed data on the effects of program design and guiding, and individual personalities, interests, capabilities, motivations, experiences, emotions, and satisfaction.

Tourism as a Tool in Nature-Based Mental Health: Progress and Prospects Post-Pandemic

“…These figures are likely to differ between: patients and symptoms; place and intensity of outdoor activities; and whether they are led by a qualified psychologist or nature guide, or unguided. So-called green prescriptions, as currently implemented, seem to be much too limited to be effective, and do not include any practical means of implementation [ 57 ].…”

“…The federal government established a funding program aimed at using exercise to reduce diabetes, which reimbursed health insurers for the costs of private employees enrolling in provider programs. Insurance brokers took advantage of this to promote outdoor exercise programs to large health insurers, using patented software intended to match patients to providers, with automated tracking and billing [ 57 ]. To increase the number of patients, they marketed this approach to employers and health insurers as a preventive nature-based mental health program, applicable to all staff, not only the smaller proportion with diabetes.…”

“…The actual measures taken, however, were rather ineffective. The national government intended to fund 100 positions within local governments: individuals who would act as information brokers between doctors and local outdoor voluntary recreation groups, such as hiking clubs or competitive mountain-running associations [ 57 ]. The therapeutic role of wetland visitor centres has also been mentioned [ 70 ].…”

“…There are national educational marketing programs aiming to overcome historical stigma in discussion of poor mental health. There are private social-purpose enterprises that operate participant-funded nature-based mental health programs, using charity-challenge tourism business models [ 57 ]. The largest of these [ 48 ] is marketed principally to urban mothers, and has successfully attracted 1% of the national adult female population to date.…”

Nature-based tourism as therapeutic landscape in a COVID era: autoethnographic learnings from a visitor’s experience in Iceland

“…Nature provides an opportunity to slow down, offering a time-out from the demands of technology and city life. Buckley ( 2022 ) notes that research evidence indicates that both nature and adventure tourism contribute to positive mental health given that enjoyment promotes wellbeing. Climate change is another force at work.…”