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

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.2026.15

Keywords:

geographical space, tourism, environment, system, components, 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.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anuar, A.N.A., Ahmad, H., Jusoh, H., & Hussain, M.Y. (2012). The essential elements underlying formation of tourist friendly destination concept: Analysis in micro level. Asian Social Science, 8(13), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n13p59

Archer, K. (1995). A folk guide to geography as a holistic science. Journal of Geography, 94(3), 404–411. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221349508979343

Attia, R.M., El Kasrawy, S., & Hamid, N.A. (2020). Exploring the role of Egyptian tourism related third sector organizations (TSOs) in sustainable tourism development. The Scientific Journal of the Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, 17(2), 30–46.

Butowski, L. (2014). Maritime tourism space. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0006

CITES Secretariat. (n.d.). Text of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. https://cites.org/eng/disc/text.php

Cockin, W. (1780). Ode to the Genius of the Lakes in the North of England. Printed for the author; and sold by Richardson and Urquhart, J. Robson, and W. Pennington [Digitized copy]. https://archive.org/details/odetogeniusoflak00cock/odetogeniusoflak00cock.pdf

Crutzen, P.J. (2006). The “Anthropocene”. In E. Ehlers & T. Krafft (Eds.), Earth system science in the Anthropocene (pp. 13–18). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-26590-2_3

Cunha, L. (2012). The definition and scope of tourism: A necessary inquiry. Cogitur, (5), 91–114. https://recil.ulusofona.pt/server/api/core/bitstreams/c8c4f8d3-6fc1-4acd-9030-39d24e59d179/content

De Andreis, F., & Carioni, M. (2019). A critical approach to the tourism management. Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(5), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojapps.2019.95027

Defrančeski, J. (2021). Pojam okoliša – ekofilozofska i kognitivnolin-gvistička analiza / The concept of environment: An ecophilosophical and cognitive-linguistic analysis [Master’s thesis, University of Zagreb] [in Croatian]. DABAR – Digital Academic Archives and Repositories. https://repozitorij.ffzg.unizg.hr/en/object/ffzg:4489/FILE0

Durydiwka, M., & Duda-Gromada, K. (2014). Influence of tourism on the spatial development of seaside resorts: Selected aspects. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 59–65. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0007

Einstein, A. (1955). Moja slika svijeta [The world as I see it] (K. Zelih, Ed.; N. Milićević, Trans.). Narodna prosvjeta. (Original German book titled Mein Weltbild published 1934)

European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment and Ecosystems. (2015). The EU birds and habitats directives: For nature and people in Europe. Publications Office. https://doi.org/10.2779/49288

Eurostat. (n.d.). Statistics explained. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Statistics_Explained

Getis, A., Getis, J., & Fellmann, J.D. (2000). Introduction to geography (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Glavač, V. (2001). Uvod u globalnu ekologiju [Introduction to global ecology] (2nd ed.). Hrvatska Sveučilišna Naklada; Ministarstvo Zaštite Okoliša i Prostornog uređenja; Pučko Otvoreno Učilište.

Hall, C.M., & Page, S.J. (2006). The geography of tourism and recreation: Environment, place and space (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Hiesinger, H., & Jaumann, R. (2014). The Moon. In T. Spohn, D. Breuer & T.V. Johnson (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Solar System (3rd ed.) (pp. 493–538). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-415845-0.00023-2

Jacquemont, V. (1834). Letters from India describing a journey in the British dominions of India, Tibet, Lahore, and Cashmere, during the years 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, undertaken by order of the French government (Vols. 1–2). Edward Churton [Digitized copy]. Vol. 1: https://archive.org/details/lettersfromindia01jacq Vol. 2: https://archive.org/details/lettersfromindia02jacq/page/n5/mode/2up

Kowalczyk, A. (2014). The phenomenology of tourism space. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 9–15. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0001

Leiper, N. (1983). An etymology of “tourism”. Annals of Tourism Research, 10(2), 277–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/0160-7383(83)90033-6

Liszewski, S. (2014). Urban tourism space research methods: Evolution and patterns. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0004

Mathieson, A., & Wall, G. (1982). Tourism: Economic, physical, and social impacts. Longman.

McIntosh, G.R., Goeldner, C.R., & Ritchie, J.R.B. (1995). Tourism: Principles, practices, philosophies (7th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Continuum. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/continuum

Mittelstrass, J. (2015). The concept of nature – from Plato’s world to Einstein’s world. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences. https://www.pas.va/en/publications/acta/acta23pas/mittelstrass.html

NASA Scientific Visualization Studio. (2018, August 29). Earth system diagram. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/30988/

Nelson, A. (2008). Travel time to major cities: A global map of Accessibility. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. https://doi.org/10.2788/95835

Oxford University Press. (n.d.a). Continuum. In Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/continuum

Oxford University Press. (n.d.b). Ecosystem. In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://www.oed.com/dictionary/ecosystem_n?tl=true

Oxford University Press. (n.d.c). Environment, 2.b. In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1071741346

Oxford University Press. (n.d.d). Environment, 2.d. In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved April 27, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/9773703482

Pagliara, F., Biggiero, L., & Henke, I. (2019). The environmental impacts connected with travelling to events: The case study of the city of Naples in Italy. In 2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) (pp. 1–6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/EEEIC.2019.8783594

Petrič, L. (2003). Osnove turizma [Basics of tourism]. Sveučilište u Splitu, Ekonomski fakultet.

Rawding, C. (2013). The importance of holistic geographies. Geography, 98(3), 157–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2013.12094382

Reinhardt, W.N. (n.d.). Infinitesimals and the labyrinth of the continuum. https://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/sites/default/files/attached-files/reinhardt_fa18.pdf

Ritter, M.E. (2026, March 19). The continuum of geography. In The physical environment. Geosciences LibreTexts. https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geography_(Physical)/The_Physical_Environment_(Ritter)/01%3A_Essentials_of_Geography/1.02%3A_The_Discipline_of_Geography/1.2.03%3A_The_Continuum_of_Geography

Roy, P. (2014). The role of geospatial technology in bridging the gap between physical and human geography. European Academic Research, 2(2), 2686–2697. https://euacademic.org/UploadArticle/580.pdf

Rydz, E. (2014). The diversification of tourism space in Central Pomerania. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 67–73. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0008

Science Learning Hub. (2012, October 1). What is the Earth system? https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1256-what-is-the-earth-system

Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. (n.d.). The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. https://www.ats.aq/e/protocol.html

Sharma, A. (2013). Destination marketing: Hamper of opportunities for tourism industry. International Journal of Management Sciences and Business Research, 2(5), 20–30. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3408021

Smirnov, O.A. (2016). Geographic space: An ancient story retold. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 41(4), 585–596. https://doi.org/10.1111/tran.12127

Sokołowski, D. (2014). Development of tourism in a coastal gmina in terms of objective data and the inhabitants’ opinions: The example of the Gmina of Krokowa. Tourism/Tourism, 24(1), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0009

Spahić, M. (1999). Uvod u geokologiju [Basics of geoecology]. Harfo-Graf.

Świeca, A., Brzezińska-Wójcik, T., Jóźwik, M.J., Krukowska, R., Skowronek, E., & Tucki, A. (2014). Selected aspects of the tourist space of the Lublin Region (case study). Tourism, 24(1), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0010

Tribe, J. (1997). The indiscipline of tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 24(3), 638–657. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(97)00020-0

United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistical Division, & World Tourism Organization. (1994). Recommendations on tourism statistics (Statistical Papers, Series M, No. 83). https://unstats.un.org/unsd/publication/seriesm/seriesm_83e.pdf

United Nations World Tourism Organization. (n.d.). Glossary of tourism terms. https://www.unwto.org/glossary-tourism-terms

United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (2025, December 30). Rural-urban continuum codes. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes

Vanhove, N. (2005). The economics of tourism destinations. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080477459

Więckowski, M. (2014). Tourism space: An attempt at a fresh look. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0002

Włodarczyk, B. (2009). The landscapes of tourism space. Turyzm/Tourism, 19(1–2), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.2478/V10106-009-0011-z

Włodarczyk, B. (2014). Space in tourism, tourism in space: On the need for definition, delimitation and classification. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0003

Zajadacz, A. (2014). Accessibility of tourism space from a geographical perspective. Turyzm/Tourism, 24(1), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.2478/tour-2014-0005

Žunić, L. (2018). Turizam Sarajeva – receptivni kulturni faktori destinacije [Tourism of Sarajevo – receptive cultural factors of the destination]. Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet.

Žunić, L. (2022). Pozitivni socio-kulturni impakti turizma na geografsku i životnu sredinu [Positive socio-cultural impacts of tourism on the geographical and living environment]. Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet.

Žunić, L. (2023). Impakti turizma [Impacts of tourism]. Univerzitet u Sarajevu, Prirodno-matematički fakultet.

Žunić, L., Avdić, B., & Avdić, A. (2023). Svemirski turizam – novi luksuzni trend u turističkoj industriji [Space tourism – the new luxury trend in the tourism industry]. Zemlja i ljudi, 73, 111–122.

Downloads

Published

2026-06-11

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Žunić, Lejla. 2026. “Comprehending the Concept of ‘tourism environment’ Within the Geographical Continuum”. Turyzm/Tourism 36 (1): 199-212. https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.2026.15.