Place Attachment in Tourism

Place attachment research in tourism has important implications for sustainable tourism development. This is increasingly recognised by scholars and practitioners as we continue to battle with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Place attachment in tourism studies has been commonly defined as the emotional bonding between people and environmental place settings. Place settings often provide venues for leisure and recreation for both residents and tourists. These venues allow interactions and involvement between people and place which can develop into an immediate to a long-lasting sense of deep affect. Place attachment is about how these attractions get immersed in values and feelings, and how people build social bonds and friendships. Some examples of place settings providing interactions influencing people's experiences include famous beaches, national parks, peri-urban parks, cultural heritage attractions (e.g., museums, industrial heritage sites, wineries), local cafes and restaurants, and shopping malls in the neighbourhood among others. Place attachment scholars have been struggling with the multiple terminologies used in place attachment research. Some examples of terms coined in addition to the term place attachment are ‘sense of place’, ‘neighbourhood attachment’, ‘community attachment’ and ‘connectedness to nature’. These terms have also been used to describe the relationship that people share with spatial settings. The term ‘place attachment’ however, remains the most commonly used in tourism research.