Dr. Jasper Hessel Heslinga

• PhD
• Senior Lecturer - Researcher at European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) - NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences

In the past few years, more human-wildlife conflicts have occurred as a result of increased human visitations, particularly in areas where space is scarce and functions need to co-exist. Nature organisations are increasingly challenged to improve nature protection on the one hand, while offering visitors high quality nature experiences on the other...

Purpose The impact of COVID-19 on tourism destinations has been severe, but a future crisis is never far away. How communities can better prepare for disasters to come in the near future continues to be researched. This research aims to understand the tourism community’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and present the Tourism Community Resilienc...

Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to show practical post COVID-19 observations as lessons for the future of tourism destination management and help inspire the tourism industry and academic community. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on observations by, and discussions among, both international and Indonesian tourism ex...

Purpose It has been established that values, beliefs and norms are good predictors of pro-environmental behaviour; however, it is less explored how these constructs can be influenced. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic, as a shock event, was a “game changer” or it had limited impacts on deep-rooted travel patterns....

This chapter aims to present the micro-niche of architourism in nature areas as a confluence of the macro-niches of nature-based and cultural tourism, and outlines the meanings and values that architecture can have for responsible consumption of nature and landscape in nature-based tourism. These are exemplified through a qualitative case study res...

Purpose In this viewpoint paper, the authors explore and discuss how Kate Raworth's (2017) Doughnut Economy perspective and accompanying “Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist” can be applied to rethink the future of tourism destination management for the better. Design/methodology/approach The authors take a “transferability” approach...

This paper presents a diagnostics tool that we refer to as a ‘governance scan’ and discusses how this tool can contribute to improving governance systems of National Parks. This governance scan combines an analytical framework and an approach to have better understanding of these governance systems. Understanding how National Parks are managed is c...

In many coastal areas, high numbers of recreationists may exceed ecological capacities. Careful monitoring of visitor flows is a first prerequisite for coastal area management. We show how AIS ship data can be translated into interpretable information on recreational boats and investigate whether AIS can provide monitoring information when compared...

In tourism, the concept of “benefit-sharing” refers to the idea that the benefits arising from tourism should be distributed across a wide range of stakeholders. We argue that the development of synergetic interactions between stakeholders involved in governance processes is a prerequisite for effective benefit-sharing from tourism in protected are...

The COVID-19 virus and the measures taken to prevent its spread have had enormous impact on society, and specifically on people’s leisure behaviour in the Netherlands. The Dutch government implemented a so-called “intelligent lockdown” mid-March 2020. This constituted a partial closing of the economy, particularly those locations and businesses whe...

An exploration of four possible future of the visitor economy post-COVID-19. Four scenarios: "business as usual", "survival of the fittest", "business as unusual" and "responsible tourism" and suggestions of how to deal with these. Available at https://www.celth.nl/en/projects/four-scenarios-future-visitor-economy. Also available in Dutch.

To make regions more resilient, a useful idea is that of synergy between tourism and landscape (i.e., a win-win situation). To help policymakers manage for synergy, we provide practical recommendations. Using the case of Terschelling (the Netherlands), an island that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listed Wadden Sea, we analyzed how policy and...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an enhanced understanding of the evolution of actor networks for destination development. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on observations and field notes of the authors regarding evolving organizational structures in the Dutch tourism industry and the conceptualization of this stepwise...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share the trend observed around irresponsible behavior by tourists in nature areas and how this may affect future policy. Design/methodology/approach This paper illustrates the trend observed based on three major observations from Norway and links the observed trend to the micro-level to meso- and macro-tren...

Nature can be a driver for both sustainable tourism and local development. Natural assets have the capacity to attract visitors. To utilize these potentials SMEs are required to take actions and initiatives, while they have to manage the limits of acceptable change (LAC) properly. This report aims to identify the potentials of nature as driver of s...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose lessons learned on how innovation can help facilitate sustainable tourism in regions. Sustainable tourism is a promising concept for a resilient future of tourism destinations, however, its practical implication remains a challenge. Design/methodology/approach To gain these practical lessons on innov...

Introduction Overtourism’ is a relatively new term in the public and academic debate on negative consequences of tourism. However, the phenomenon itself is not a new one, as problematic forms of tourism crowding and their effects on local communities and environment have been studied for decades. Yet, there is much evidence that the character of...

Content analysis is a valuable tool to identify changes in policy. By analysing historical documents, policymakers and planners can improve their understanding of the institutional context in which decisions were made. Using the Island of Terschelling in the UNESCO World Heritage Wadden region of the northern Netherlands as our example, we show how...

This dissertation assesses synergetic tourism-landscape interactions. While the emphasis of these interactions often lies on either social-economic development or nature protection, synergies are about striving for win-win situations by balancing these twin goals. Acknowledging synergies can assist regions in becoming more resilient when coping wit...

In tourism, the concept of “benefit-sharing” refers to the idea that the benefits arising from tourism should be distributed across a wide range of stakeholders. We argue that the development of synergetic interactions between stakeholders involved in governance processes is a prerequisite for effective benefit-sharing from tourism in protected are...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look at the potential synergies between tourism and landscapes and examine the potential contribution of tourism to build social-ecological resilience in the Dutch Wadden. Design/methodology/approach The authors reveal how a social-ecological systems perspective can be used to conceptualize the Wadden as a c...

Coastal areas are extremely interesting regions to examine, since a large share of the world population lives in these areas, despite threats caused by climate change and sea level rise and their consequent state of vulnerability. This research aims at answering the following question: how can vulnerable coastal areas make a transition towards area...