Comprehending the concept of ‘tourism environment’ within the geographical continuum

Abstract

The article introduces the concepts of geographical, natural, living, and tourism environments, examined from a geographical perspective and based on a holistic approach considering their terminological and structural factors, which, in their causal spatial relationships, contribute to a cohesive geographical ‘integrity’ of identifiable tourism landscapes. Qualitative research in philosophical geography is based on an extensive compilation of contemporary literature from multiple fields, such as geography, (geo)ecology, tourism, and physics, along with the author’s personal insights. The article highlights the cohesion of geography, tourism and environmental protection, indicating the role of geographical resources in tourism planning and environmental protection, including heritage preservation. The findings underscore their geographical nature, highlighting that they are essential elements of geographical space and, consequently, geographical subjects. This research advocates the involvement of geographers in their exploration of tourism and environmental conservation. Geography holds a fundamental role in both (geo)ecological and tourism research, as tourism and environmental conservation are inherently spatial, rendering them indispensable within the field of geography.