The Tourism Geographies of Soundscapes: Theory, Methods, and Praxis
GUEST EDITORS
Daniel Laven PhD
European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR)
Mid Sweden University
[email protected]
Rose Keller PhD
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
[email protected]
Daniel Laven PhD
European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR)
Mid Sweden University
[email protected]
Rose Keller PhD
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
[email protected]
Issues of visitor use continue to be important for the sustainable management of protected areas and related nature-based tourism settings (Manning et al. 2013). Much of the early work in this area focused on the application of the carrying capacity concept to reduce visitor perceptions of overcrowding (e.g., Graefe et al. 1984; Manning 2013; McCool & Lime 2001; Stankey & McCool 1984; Wagar 1964). Our current moment of overtourism (Becker 2016) has helped pushed visitor management research beyond the borders of protected natural areas and has evolved to include work in more urban-proximate settings (Xiao et al. 2023) together with topics such as air quality (Zajchowski et al. 2022), light pollution (Pothukuchi 2021), and even visitor perceptions of graffiti and human waste (Chen & Ten 2016; Keller & Engen 2022). This evolution also includes growing interest in how best to conceptualize and, ultimately, manage noise pollution and soundscapes in a variety of tourism settings (Ferguson et al. 2022; Gale et al. 2021; Pilcher et al. 2009), especially as ‘high fidelity’ natural soundscapes are increasingly rare (Buxton et al. 2019). Schafer is often credited with introducing the soundscape concept in 1969 and has since become an established theoretical frame within a broader set of disciplines.
Recent research has shown that sound can have far-reaching impacts on the quality and health of socio-ecological systems. Sound, and its complement, silence, is an important, multisensory signal that contributes to the way that humans and other species live and thrive. Natural soundscapes - spaces mostly free of anthrophonic sounds – have been shown to enhance human wellbeing (Miller et al. 2019; Bratman et al. 2019), influence environmental behavior and human connection to nature (Levenhagen et al. 2020; Ferraro et al. 2020) and contribute to the flourishing of a wide variety of other species (Francis et al. 2017). Preserving natural soundscapes supports biodiversity (Francomano et al.2021), cognition and stress recovery in humans and wildlife (Jahncke et al. 2015), and provide the ‘keynotes’ of natural places.
Sounds are also worldmaking and an essential part of the narratives that shape our sense of place and the stories we instill in them (Hollingshead 2009; Komppula et al. 2017). Through worldmaking, sounds become contested whereby competing instillations produce different world(s) and are entangled with other worldmaking processes, such as tourism. Indeed, tourism is now one of the primary socio-economic forces in many places and such growth raises difficult but important questions about what gets defined as ‘noise’ – and by and for whom? Interrogating the relationship between soundscapes and placemaking may aid in understanding the normative discussions about what type of sounds contribute to feelings of dwelling or the intentional creation of certain kinds of spaces, such as tourism attractions (Paiva & Cachinho 2022; Broch & Keller, 2024).
Addressing these challenges requires innovative transdisciplinary investigations. This Special Issue welcomes papers that address the theoretical, methodological, and management and policy dimensions of soundscape management in a tourism context. We welcome papers that address the following topics:
The goal of this SI is to explore the linkages between soundscapes and tourism through worldmaking processes, and the new knowledge potentials that can emerge through an engagement with sounds in socio-ecological research.
Submission Instructions
Extended abstracts (approximately 1000 words excluding references) are welcome by 1 July 2024 and should sent to guest editors Daniel Laven ([email protected]) and Rose Keller ([email protected]). Abstracts should include the title, authorship, author affiliation(s) and contact information (including the email addresses of all authors) and keywords (up to ten keywords).
Authors who submit abstracts will be informed of the outcome of the abstract review no later than 31 August 2024. For those who are invited to prepare full manuscripts, the deadline for the submission of full papers will be 1 March 2025. All full paper submissions will be subject to the normal peer review processes of Tourism Geographies.
We welcome contributions from scholars and practitioners worldwide to contribute manuscripts for this special issue.
An invitation from the guest editors to submit a full paper does not guarantee publication.
Please also note that no more than one paper per author is permitted in this special issue.
Timeline
Submissions to Tourism Geographies are made using Scholar One Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Select "special issue title” when submitting your paper to ScholarOne. Registration and access is available at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rtxg20.
Papers must be formatted in accordance with Tourism Geographies author instructions, and be in the approved journal style and address the journal’s publication criteria. See: http://www.tgjournal.com/notes-for-authors.html
Special Issue Editor Bios
Daniel Laven is an associate professor of human geography and currently serves as the head of the Department of Economics, Geography, Law and Tourism at Mid Sweden University. Daniel’s research is conducted under the auspices of the university’s European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR). His work focuses on the various aspects of natural and cultural heritage including the management of protected areas. More information about Daniel’s work is available here: https://www.miun.se/Personal/l/daniellaven/
Rose Keller is a research scientist for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research: Nature, Society and Areal Department. She has a primary focus on nature-based tourism in protected areas and has a background in research in academia and as a social scientist in the National Park Service (Alaska) related to acoustic assessments of national parks, visitor management and issues in conservation governance. She currently leads a national project mapping natural soundscapes and noise in Norwegian national parks (Norwegian Research Council 33243 FRIPRO) and leads the Nordic Soundscapes Research Network (Norwegian Research Council 21464 BIOVIT). More information about Rose’s work can be found here: https://www.nina.no/Kontakt/Ansatte/Ansattinformasjon.aspx?AnsattID=16266
References
Becker, E. (2016). Overbooked: The exploding business of travel and tourism. Simon and Schuster.
Broch, T, Keller, R and Petersen, E (2024). Water symphonies: Teaching silent soundscapes and tranquility. Ed., Mike Brown. The Ocean, Blue Spaces and Outdoor Learning. 62 – 70. Routledge.
Chen, C. L., & Teng, N. (2016). Management priorities and carrying capacity at a high-use beach from tourists’ perspectives: A way towards sustainable beach tourism. Marine Policy, 74, 213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.09.030
Chen, M., Yu, P., Zhang, Y., Wu, K., & Yang, Y. (2021). Acoustic environment management in the countryside: A case study of tourist sentiment for rural soundscapes in China. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(12), 2154 - 2171. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1862768
Ferguson, L. A., Newman, P., McKenna, M. F., Betchkal, D. H., Miller, Z. D., Keller, R., Taff, B. D. (2023). How much noise is too much? Methods for identifying thresholds for soundscape quality and ecosystem services. Applied Acoustics, 209, 109388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2023.109388
Frohlick, S., & Macevicius, C. (2023). Listening otherwise: From “silent tourism” soundscapes to privileged sonic ways of knowing. Tourist Studies, 23(2), 149-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976231171713
Gale, T., Ednie, A., Beeftink, K., & Adiego, A. (2021). Beyond noise management: Exploring visitors’ perceptions of positive emotional soundscape dimensions. Journal of Leisure Research, 52(2), 129-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2020.1749912
Galloway, K. (2020). Listening to and Composing with the Soundscapes of Climate Change. Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities, 7(2), 81-105. https://doi.org/10.5250/resilience.7.2-3.0081.
Graefe, A. R., Vaske, J. J., & Kuss, F. R. (1984). Social carrying capacity: An integration and synthesis of twenty years of research. Leisure Sciences, 6(4), 395-431. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490408409513046
Hollinshead, K. (2009). The “worldmaking” prodigy of tourism: The reach and power of tourism in the dynamics of change and transformation. Tourism Analysis, 14(1), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354209788970162
Jiang, J., & Yan, B. (2022). From soundscape participation to tourist loyalty in nature-based tourism: The moderating role of soundscape emotion and the mediating role of soundscape satisfaction. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 26, 100730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100730
Kah, J. A., Shin, H. J., & Lee, S. H. (2022). Traveler sensoryscape experiences and the formation of destination identity. Tourism Geographies, 24(2-3), 475-494. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1765015
Lee, N. F., & Walker, E. D. (2024). Research in action-tourism and its impacts on the environmental soundscape-A community-initiated pilot study. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 105, 107450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107450
Losleben, L. K., Clerici, M., Holm, V., & Panieri, G. (2023). Listen to the world around us. Septentrio Educational, (1), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.7557/8.7050
Lu, Y. H., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Xiao, X., Liu, P., Zhuang, M., & Hu, M. (2022). Flow in soundscape: The conceptualization of soundscape flow experience and its relationship with soundscape perception and behaviour intention in tourism destinations. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(13), 2090-2108. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1922363
Manning, R. E. (2013). Parks and carrying capacity: Commons without tragedy. Island Press. https://doi.org/978-1-55963-105-1
Manning, R., Valliere, W., Anderson, L., McCown, R. S., Pettengill, P., Reigner, N., Lawson, S., Newman, P., Budruk, M., Laven, D., Hallo, J., Park, L., Bacon, J., Abbe, D., van Riper, C., & Goonan, K. (2011). Defining, measuring, monitoring, and managing the sustainability of parks for outdoor recreation. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 29(3), 24-37. https://doi.org/ 0735-1968
McCool, S. F., & Lime, D. W. (2001). Tourism carrying capacity: tempting fantasy or useful reality?. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(5), 372-388. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580108667409
Paiva, D., & Cachinho, H. (2022). Soundmaking and the making of worlds and territories: a case of street football games in Quinta da Piedade. Social & Cultural Geography, 23(1), 120-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2019.1704046
Pilcher, E. J., Newman, P., & Manning, R. E. (2009). Understanding and managing experiential aspects of soundscapes at Muir Woods National Monument. Environmental Management, 43, 425-435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9224-1
Pothukuchi, K. (2021). City light or star bright: a review of urban light pollution, impacts, and planning implications. Journal of Planning Literature, 36(2), 155-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412220986421
Schafer, R. M. (1969). The new soundscape. Vienna, Austria: Universal Edition.
Stankey, G. H., & McCool, S. F. (1984). Carrying capacity in recreational settings: evolution, appraisal, and application. Leisure Sciences, 6(4), 453-473. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490408409513048
Stinson, M. J. (2023). Tourism, worldmaking, and disquieting settler atmospherics. Tourism Geographies, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2291720
Volgger, M., Pfister, D., & Dirksmeier, P. (2023). Quo vadis research on spatial atmospheres?. Tourism Geographies, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2270980
Wagar, J. A. (1964). The carrying capacity of wild lands for recreation. Forest Science, 10(suppl_2), a0001-24. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/10.s2.a0001
Xiao, X., Gao, J., Lu, J., Li, P., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 41, 100451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100451
Zajchowski, C. A., South, F., Rose, J., & Crofford, E. (2022). The role of temperature and air quality in outdoor recreation behavior: a social-ecological systems approach. Geographical Review, 112(4), 512-531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2021.1897811
Recent research has shown that sound can have far-reaching impacts on the quality and health of socio-ecological systems. Sound, and its complement, silence, is an important, multisensory signal that contributes to the way that humans and other species live and thrive. Natural soundscapes - spaces mostly free of anthrophonic sounds – have been shown to enhance human wellbeing (Miller et al. 2019; Bratman et al. 2019), influence environmental behavior and human connection to nature (Levenhagen et al. 2020; Ferraro et al. 2020) and contribute to the flourishing of a wide variety of other species (Francis et al. 2017). Preserving natural soundscapes supports biodiversity (Francomano et al.2021), cognition and stress recovery in humans and wildlife (Jahncke et al. 2015), and provide the ‘keynotes’ of natural places.
Sounds are also worldmaking and an essential part of the narratives that shape our sense of place and the stories we instill in them (Hollingshead 2009; Komppula et al. 2017). Through worldmaking, sounds become contested whereby competing instillations produce different world(s) and are entangled with other worldmaking processes, such as tourism. Indeed, tourism is now one of the primary socio-economic forces in many places and such growth raises difficult but important questions about what gets defined as ‘noise’ – and by and for whom? Interrogating the relationship between soundscapes and placemaking may aid in understanding the normative discussions about what type of sounds contribute to feelings of dwelling or the intentional creation of certain kinds of spaces, such as tourism attractions (Paiva & Cachinho 2022; Broch & Keller, 2024).
Addressing these challenges requires innovative transdisciplinary investigations. This Special Issue welcomes papers that address the theoretical, methodological, and management and policy dimensions of soundscape management in a tourism context. We welcome papers that address the following topics:
- Long term ecological monitoring and tourism implications
- Soundscapes as listening spaces for democratic inclusion of places
- Methodological and/or technical measurements of sounds
- Case studies on dwelling and the heritage of sounds
- Case studies of soundscape management in diverse tourism settings (both nature-based and urban)
- Conceptual gaps and/or theoretical interlinkages between soundscapes, eco-acoustics, sonic geographies and related notions such as acoustemology
- Role of sounds in the tourism experience including how sounds are sought and co-constituted by tourist bodies themselves and are entangled in worldmaking
- The making of micro-worlds through sounds/listening
- Exploring the links of soundmaking and listening in diverse (tourism) contexts
- Explorations of noise in nature, urban-proximate, and urban settings
The goal of this SI is to explore the linkages between soundscapes and tourism through worldmaking processes, and the new knowledge potentials that can emerge through an engagement with sounds in socio-ecological research.
Submission Instructions
Extended abstracts (approximately 1000 words excluding references) are welcome by 1 July 2024 and should sent to guest editors Daniel Laven ([email protected]) and Rose Keller ([email protected]). Abstracts should include the title, authorship, author affiliation(s) and contact information (including the email addresses of all authors) and keywords (up to ten keywords).
Authors who submit abstracts will be informed of the outcome of the abstract review no later than 31 August 2024. For those who are invited to prepare full manuscripts, the deadline for the submission of full papers will be 1 March 2025. All full paper submissions will be subject to the normal peer review processes of Tourism Geographies.
We welcome contributions from scholars and practitioners worldwide to contribute manuscripts for this special issue.
An invitation from the guest editors to submit a full paper does not guarantee publication.
Please also note that no more than one paper per author is permitted in this special issue.
Timeline
- Abstract due: 1 July 2024
- Accepted/ rejected abstracts notified 31 August 2024.
- Manuscripts to guest editors for pre-submission review 1 February 2025.
- Invited full papers due on or before 1 March 2025 to Tourism Geographies.
- Anticipated full special issue publication 1 November 2025. Papers will be published in Tourism Geographies online as they are accepted.
Submissions to Tourism Geographies are made using Scholar One Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Select "special issue title” when submitting your paper to ScholarOne. Registration and access is available at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rtxg20.
Papers must be formatted in accordance with Tourism Geographies author instructions, and be in the approved journal style and address the journal’s publication criteria. See: http://www.tgjournal.com/notes-for-authors.html
Special Issue Editor Bios
Daniel Laven is an associate professor of human geography and currently serves as the head of the Department of Economics, Geography, Law and Tourism at Mid Sweden University. Daniel’s research is conducted under the auspices of the university’s European Tourism Research Institute (ETOUR). His work focuses on the various aspects of natural and cultural heritage including the management of protected areas. More information about Daniel’s work is available here: https://www.miun.se/Personal/l/daniellaven/
Rose Keller is a research scientist for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research: Nature, Society and Areal Department. She has a primary focus on nature-based tourism in protected areas and has a background in research in academia and as a social scientist in the National Park Service (Alaska) related to acoustic assessments of national parks, visitor management and issues in conservation governance. She currently leads a national project mapping natural soundscapes and noise in Norwegian national parks (Norwegian Research Council 33243 FRIPRO) and leads the Nordic Soundscapes Research Network (Norwegian Research Council 21464 BIOVIT). More information about Rose’s work can be found here: https://www.nina.no/Kontakt/Ansatte/Ansattinformasjon.aspx?AnsattID=16266
References
Becker, E. (2016). Overbooked: The exploding business of travel and tourism. Simon and Schuster.
Broch, T, Keller, R and Petersen, E (2024). Water symphonies: Teaching silent soundscapes and tranquility. Ed., Mike Brown. The Ocean, Blue Spaces and Outdoor Learning. 62 – 70. Routledge.
Chen, C. L., & Teng, N. (2016). Management priorities and carrying capacity at a high-use beach from tourists’ perspectives: A way towards sustainable beach tourism. Marine Policy, 74, 213-219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.09.030
Chen, M., Yu, P., Zhang, Y., Wu, K., & Yang, Y. (2021). Acoustic environment management in the countryside: A case study of tourist sentiment for rural soundscapes in China. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 64(12), 2154 - 2171. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2020.1862768
Ferguson, L. A., Newman, P., McKenna, M. F., Betchkal, D. H., Miller, Z. D., Keller, R., Taff, B. D. (2023). How much noise is too much? Methods for identifying thresholds for soundscape quality and ecosystem services. Applied Acoustics, 209, 109388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apacoust.2023.109388
Frohlick, S., & Macevicius, C. (2023). Listening otherwise: From “silent tourism” soundscapes to privileged sonic ways of knowing. Tourist Studies, 23(2), 149-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687976231171713
Gale, T., Ednie, A., Beeftink, K., & Adiego, A. (2021). Beyond noise management: Exploring visitors’ perceptions of positive emotional soundscape dimensions. Journal of Leisure Research, 52(2), 129-153. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2020.1749912
Galloway, K. (2020). Listening to and Composing with the Soundscapes of Climate Change. Resilience: A Journal of the Environmental Humanities, 7(2), 81-105. https://doi.org/10.5250/resilience.7.2-3.0081.
Graefe, A. R., Vaske, J. J., & Kuss, F. R. (1984). Social carrying capacity: An integration and synthesis of twenty years of research. Leisure Sciences, 6(4), 395-431. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490408409513046
Hollinshead, K. (2009). The “worldmaking” prodigy of tourism: The reach and power of tourism in the dynamics of change and transformation. Tourism Analysis, 14(1), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354209788970162
Jiang, J., & Yan, B. (2022). From soundscape participation to tourist loyalty in nature-based tourism: The moderating role of soundscape emotion and the mediating role of soundscape satisfaction. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 26, 100730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2022.100730
Kah, J. A., Shin, H. J., & Lee, S. H. (2022). Traveler sensoryscape experiences and the formation of destination identity. Tourism Geographies, 24(2-3), 475-494. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1765015
Lee, N. F., & Walker, E. D. (2024). Research in action-tourism and its impacts on the environmental soundscape-A community-initiated pilot study. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 105, 107450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2024.107450
Losleben, L. K., Clerici, M., Holm, V., & Panieri, G. (2023). Listen to the world around us. Septentrio Educational, (1), 35-39. https://doi.org/10.7557/8.7050
Lu, Y. H., Zhang, J., Zhang, H., Xiao, X., Liu, P., Zhuang, M., & Hu, M. (2022). Flow in soundscape: The conceptualization of soundscape flow experience and its relationship with soundscape perception and behaviour intention in tourism destinations. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(13), 2090-2108. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1922363
Manning, R. E. (2013). Parks and carrying capacity: Commons without tragedy. Island Press. https://doi.org/978-1-55963-105-1
Manning, R., Valliere, W., Anderson, L., McCown, R. S., Pettengill, P., Reigner, N., Lawson, S., Newman, P., Budruk, M., Laven, D., Hallo, J., Park, L., Bacon, J., Abbe, D., van Riper, C., & Goonan, K. (2011). Defining, measuring, monitoring, and managing the sustainability of parks for outdoor recreation. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 29(3), 24-37. https://doi.org/ 0735-1968
McCool, S. F., & Lime, D. W. (2001). Tourism carrying capacity: tempting fantasy or useful reality?. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 9(5), 372-388. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580108667409
Paiva, D., & Cachinho, H. (2022). Soundmaking and the making of worlds and territories: a case of street football games in Quinta da Piedade. Social & Cultural Geography, 23(1), 120-139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2019.1704046
Pilcher, E. J., Newman, P., & Manning, R. E. (2009). Understanding and managing experiential aspects of soundscapes at Muir Woods National Monument. Environmental Management, 43, 425-435. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9224-1
Pothukuchi, K. (2021). City light or star bright: a review of urban light pollution, impacts, and planning implications. Journal of Planning Literature, 36(2), 155-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412220986421
Schafer, R. M. (1969). The new soundscape. Vienna, Austria: Universal Edition.
Stankey, G. H., & McCool, S. F. (1984). Carrying capacity in recreational settings: evolution, appraisal, and application. Leisure Sciences, 6(4), 453-473. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490408409513048
Stinson, M. J. (2023). Tourism, worldmaking, and disquieting settler atmospherics. Tourism Geographies, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2291720
Volgger, M., Pfister, D., & Dirksmeier, P. (2023). Quo vadis research on spatial atmospheres?. Tourism Geographies, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2270980
Wagar, J. A. (1964). The carrying capacity of wild lands for recreation. Forest Science, 10(suppl_2), a0001-24. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestscience/10.s2.a0001
Xiao, X., Gao, J., Lu, J., Li, P., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Social carrying capacity and emotion dynamics in urban national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 41, 100451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2021.100451
Zajchowski, C. A., South, F., Rose, J., & Crofford, E. (2022). The role of temperature and air quality in outdoor recreation behavior: a social-ecological systems approach. Geographical Review, 112(4), 512-531. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.2021.1897811
