Catching feelings in nature: experiential insights about access and inclusion in parks, protected and other conserved areas

An ongoing lack of universally designed infrastructure and programming across the tourism system excludes persons with a disability and other accessibility seeking travelers. In nature-based tourism contexts, limited studies have documented interactions among the diversity of accessibility seeking travelers and the physical, attitudinal, and informational barriers known to exist in nature spaces. This research draws on the lived experiences of a small and diverse group of people as they navigate their accessibility requirements and rights to parks, protected and other conserved areas in northern British Columbia, Canada. Observations documenting in/accessible experiences in nature spaces are recorded using photovoice and field journals grounded in a collaborative auto-ethnographic approach. A thematic analysis surfaced themes relating to the importance of providing access to distinctive encounters in parks and how these experiences relate to infrastructure and social practices. Analysis also identified the need for cognitive space for tourists to embrace desired embodiments in nature and participate in information systems that connect tourists to diverse knowledge systems and sustainability thinking. Findings from this work offer important insights into the value of lived experience as a management input as well as options for engaging diverse communities in a conversation about park accessibility.