Rethinking the landscape perception of traditional built environment from the perspective of depth

The objective of this paper is to optimize the scene of tourism virtual perception space. Based on the abstract method of semantic feature points, the computing model of semantic perception of single-cultural landscape and multi-cultural landscape is established. Using the digital elevation model, an empirical study on the semantic perception of cultural landscape in the western Tombs of Qing Dynasty is carried out. Taking the traditional Chinese culture of the site selection of royal tombs and the feudal hierarchy represented as the semantic criteria, eighteen feature points were extracted from two representative tomb cultural landscapes from different landscape perspectives, and the corresponding weight coefficients were assigned to each feature point from different landscape perspectives; based on the results of perceptual degree calculation, the semantic mining of the existing sightseeing routes is carried out and the optimization scheme is designed. From the perspective of tourists’ perception of landscape, tourism resources are deeply mined to better reflect the value of landscape and realize the coupling and interaction between virtual tourism and tourism economy.

The paper presents studies concerning perception-based analysis of landscape by means of the valuation method developed by Kazimierz Wejchert. This method consists in the scoring of landscape interiors of a given space. Evaluation concerned a recreation area located in the city centre around one of the best known water reservoirs in the city of Poznań. The experiment comprised investigations conducted by students of 6 specialisation groups, the field of study Horticulture, and lasted for 6 months. In that period students evaluated individual interiors of the study area. The aim of the analyses was to indicate differences in the perception of recreational landscape depending on different factors (specialisation within the field of study, gender, weather) as well as to potentially develop design guidelines for the management of recreational areas within the green wedges in the city of Poznań. Statistical analysis of the collected data facilitated formulation of more specific conclusions. Marked differences were found in the perception of landscape, depending on gender of respondents. The most attractive site was the area located immediately at the lake, while the ecotone zone, transition zone between ecosystems, proved to be least attractive. Slight differences were also found in the perception of landscape within the investigated specialisations within the field of study.

Viticulture landscapes combine nature and culture attracting tourists in search of new experi‑ ences. The present article aims to analyse the perception of the viticulture landscape of Serra Gaucha and how it influences the wine tourist experience. Furthermore, using the visitors’ observations, we attempt to identify the tangible and intangible elements that represent the Serra Gaucha landscape, relevant at‑ tractions to the wine tourism experiences and tthe awareness of the need for landscape preservation. For data generation we used an online survey built around 22 questions sent to the 210 tourists who visited a family winery located in the Historical Winery route in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with a final total of 52 participants. The city is part of a region known as Serra Gaucha, the main Brazilian wine tourism destination. The results showed the importance of tangible and intangible elements in the perception of the landscape by visitors, especially for the vineyards, the architecture of the wooden and stone houses, the local gastronomy and the wine tasting itself. Such elements immerse and involve the tourists,and contribute directly to the tourist experience. The main ways to register the moments were photos and videos, and wine purchases. Visitors recognised the need to preserve the landscape, a condition for the sustainability of this activity.

This study investigates the influence of body movements on spatial perception in both landscape and interior design environments, focusing on how physical interactions shape spatial understanding beyond visual perception alone. Grounded in the theory of embodied cognition, the research examines how gait, posture, and movement dynamics affect spatial awareness. The study captures detailed data on movement patterns and visual engagement across different spatial contexts using a combination of real-world observations and Virtual Reality (VR) simulations, motion-tracking systems, wearable sensors, and eye-tracking technology. A total of 157 participants, aged 20 to 65, navigated both outdoor landscapes and indoor environments, with key variables such as surface materials, spatial layout, and lighting conditions manipulated to assess their effects on spatial perception. The study measured gait speed, step frequency, path deviations, time to destination, visual attention, and subjective ratings of perceived openness, ease of movement, and emotional response. Key findings include that surface materials significantly influenced gait speed and step frequency. For example, participants walking on concrete had a significantly faster gait speed (mean difference = 0.5220, p = 0.001) than those walking on gravel. In terms of spatial layout, the two-way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed that winding paths led to more path deviations (F-statistic = 350.00, p = 3.19 × 10−8) and longer times to destination (F-statistic = 1744.00, p = 2.39 ´ 10−11) compared to straight paths. The environment type (landscape vs. interior) also significantly affected navigation, with landscape participants showing a more significant deviation from direct paths (F-statistic = 19.60, p = 2.37 × 10−3). Visual engagement data, analyzed through a chi-square test, indicated that vertical elements like walls approached significance in attracting visual attention (Chi-square = 2.88, p = 0.0896), while other elements like trees and benches had less impact. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test results showed significant differences between real-world and VR experiences in perceived openness (W-statistic = 0.0, p = 0.001953), ease of movement (W-statistic = 0.0, p = 0.001953), and comfort (W-statistic = 0.0, p = 0.001953), highlighting VR’s limitations in replicating the full embodied experience of physical spaces.

ContextIt is essential for policy-making and planning that we understand landscapes not only in terms of landscape ecological patterns, but also in terms of their contribution to people's quality of life.ObjectivesIn this study our objective is to test relationships between landscape ecology and social science indicators, by investigating how landscape patterns are linked to people’s perception of landscape quality.MethodsTo assess public views on landscapes we conducted a survey among 858 respondents in Switzerland. We combined this survey data on perceived landscape quality and place attachment with landscape metrics (e.g. diversity, naturalness of land cover, urban sprawl, fragmentation) in a statistical model to test hypotheses about the relationships between the different variables of interest.ResultsOur results illustrate the contribution of both landscape composition metrics and social science indicators to understanding variation in people’s perception and assessment of landscape. For example, we found the landscape ecology metrics on urban sprawl and fragmentation to be a negative predictor of overall satisfaction with landscape, and that perceived landscape quality positively predicted place attachment and satisfaction with the municipality landscape.ConclusionsThis study highlights the importance and feasibility of combining landscape ecology metrics and public survey data on how people perceive, value and relate to landscape in an integrated manner. Our approach has the potential for implementation across a variety of settings and can contribute to holistic and integrated landscape assessments that combine ecological and socio-cultural aspects.

O objetivo principal do presente trabalho foi o de propor um conceito de turismo infantil. Para tanto, se explanou sobre a infância como categoria social; se analisou a importância do turismo para a criança, bem como do público infantil para a atividade turística; e, se apontou as principais atividades relacionadas ao turismo para crianças. Por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica e exploratória, foram destacados os benefícios socioculturais do turismo, entre os quais: que o contato direto com a natureza na infância tende a surtir efeitos positivos, que refletem as atitudes e o comportamento dos adultos que as crianças vão ser. Quanto à importância da criança para o turismo, destaca-se que as férias só para elas são um dos mercados emergentes no setor. Como atividades relacionadas ao turismo para crianças, caracterizou-se, por exemplo, o turismo pedagógico e os acampamentos de férias. Por fim, chegou-se a uma proposta conceitual de turismo infantil. Nessa forma de turismo, há necessidade de maior supervisão de profissionais, como também, adequação de produtos e serviços para atender as crianças com segurança e qualidade, proporcionando a elas percepção de novas paisagens, desenvolvimento pessoal, conforto, diversão e aprendizados culturais.

This essay discusses the changing perceptions of the South-Limburgian landscape between 1870-1920 and highlights the role of cycling tourists in this development. Southern Limburg is a hilly part of the Netherlands, with hills of up to 322m in elevation. An increasingly popular tourist destination from the 1870s onwards, the region attracted many walkers from the very beginning. When cycling became popular from the 1890s onwards, also cycling tourists started to visit the region. Analysing travelogues and travel guides, the paper describes and compares the most popular destinations of tourist walkers and cyclists and their respective discourses on the landscape. Whereas walkers focused on the area bordering on the railway that crossed the region, cyclists visited parts previously not so easily reached by train and foot. Furthermore, whereas walkers consistently and elaborately described the landscape as ‘mountainous’ and liked to call it ‘Holland’s Switzerland’, cyclists did not use this language and instead preferred to talk about the region’s hills and hilliness. Arguing from a constructivist perspective, the paper explains this change not only by referring to the different parts of the region visited by walkers and cyclists, but also by suggesting in general different perceptions of landscapes by walkers and cyclists, and by linking the cycling tourists’ discourse to the Dutch cultural nationalism promoted at the time by the national cyclists’ organisation, the ANWB.

Cross-cultural perceptions of scenic and heritage landscapes

Early childhood experience of Self in relation to Other may profoundly influence subsequent perception and experience of landscape as an adult. Yet, these past and present spatial relationships are often held in unconscious levels of the psyche, which are difficult to articulate when approached by conventional qualitative methods. Engaging with psychotherapeutic methodologies has proved highly productive in facilitating adults to connect with and articulate their perception of landscape. In this paper I demonstrate the application of object relations psychoanalytic theory in qualitative research undertaken to explore the complexities of the influence of gender identity on landscape perception in adults. I draw on D.W. Winnicott's theory of 'potential space', as the location of culture, to develop a methodology that focuses on sensory experience, in particular the tactile. In this way participants were facilitated to access early regressed spaces whilst staying connected with present experience. Reporting on a series of practical workshops, used alongside in-depth interviewing techniques, I show how it is possible to examine the complex conscious and unconscious relationships at different sensory levels between Self and landscape.

Rural tourism development has an important impact on optimizing the rural industrial structure and stimulating local economic growth. China’s Rural Revitalization Strategy has promoted the development of rural tourism nationwide and emphasized Chinese characteristics in the process of local development. Based on the theoretical analysis of landscape perception, this article uses the external Landscape Perception→Satisfaction→Revisit Intention influence path as a theoretical research framework to construct a structural equation model to analyze the willingness of tourists to revisit rural tourism destinations. We selected Nangou Village, Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province, as a key model village for rural revitalization, and conducted an empirical analysis. The empirical analysis results show that landscape perception has a significant positive impact on satisfaction and revisit intention. Tourist satisfaction has a significant positive impact on revisit intention and plays an intermediary role between landscape perception and revisit intention. The five dimensions of natural ecology, historical culture, leisure recreation, research experience, and integral route under landscape perception are all significantly positively correlated with revisit intention, with historical culture and integral route having the greatest impact on landscape perception. The survey about Nangou Village verifies the relationship between landscape perception, satisfaction, and tourists’ revisit intention. Based on the objective data analysis results, this study puts forward suggestions for optimizing Nangou Village’s tourism landscapes and improving tourists’ willingness to revisit from three aspects: deeply excavating rural historical and cultural resources, shaping the national red culture brand, and creating rural tourism boutique routes. It is hoped that the quantitative research method of landscape perception theory in Nangou Village can also provide a reference and inspiration for similar rural tourism planning.

The article addresses the issue of social perception of landscape change connected to energy production from renewables, in an Alpine area. The Alpine regions have undergone extensive transformations in the last century, and energy has played a key role in socio-economic phenomena and in landscape change, because of the availability of oil products and the impact of hydroelectric plants. Currently, a variety of renewable energy technologies (RETs) are available, providing new opportunities for mountain areas but producing important effects on the landscape. Their use require a change in the frames of reference of the actors involved and a new perception of landscape values by local communities. The paper analyses how the insertion of RETs in the landscape of Trentino, in the Italian Alps, is impacting on the social perception. The methodology builds on the results of recent research conducted in the province of Trento on the perception of landscape characters. This allows identification of the values at stake when making use of a new technology in the open space, and analysis of how and why impacts are coherent with local communities’ perception of landscape. This analysis makes it possible to frame the crucial issues concerning use of such technologies in the Alpine landscape and to discuss how such a change is perceived, drawing some conclusions of general interest.

Wayang Kayon filling is often understood as an ornament that is interpreted separately. The fillings are composed in such a way that they interact. The interaction between Wayang Kayon fillings forms landscape perception. This study aims to explain landscape perception in Wayang Kayon figures. The theory used to explain the landscapes depicted on Wayang Kayon figures is the perception theory. This research uses qualitative methods with an interpretive-iconographic approach. The Wayang Kayon filling is three composed layers of the structure, including pucukan, genukan, and lengkeh. The filling found on the pucukan Wayang Kayon is a tree of life form that is the landscape perception as mountain and forest. The filling of the genukan and lengkeh on the Wayang Kayon Blumbangan figure shows the ponds, animals, plants, and/or mythological creatures formation that are the landscape perception as an ecosystem around a water source. The filling of the genukan and lengkeh on the Wayang Kayon Gapuran figure shows the gate formation that is the landscape perception as a landscape of sacred buildings. Wayang Kayon filling is depicted through pasemon artistic concept so that it is understood as native art. This research is expected to be a guide for shadow puppet spectators to understand the Wayang Kayon figures filling and for shadow puppet artists to pay attention to the Wayang Kayon filling results creations so that the interaction between fillings still perceives the landscape.

With the rise of Asian middle class and ease of long-haul travel, the act of travel has become more embodied, hybrid, performative, and culturally inclusive (Larsen, 2014; Perkins & Thorns, 2001). Travellers can visit exotic and remote destinations which differ markedly from their home environments. This is particularly evident in the Chinese market, where a rising interest in independent overseas travel has been observed. This steady increase in Chinese independent outbound tourists has led researchers and practitioners to question how these emerging markets interact with, and make sense of, landscapes and experiences that differ significantly from those found in China.Individuals perceive, understand, and react to a landscape in different ways depending on their social and cultural backgrounds. Chinese outbound visitors hold unique worldviews and ideologies and may therefore find it challenging to perceive and connect with foreign landscapes. Studies have identified several philosophical, cultural, and literary factors that influence how Chinese domestic tourists perceive landscapes in China. Yet, research into the way Chinese tourists interact with environments in non-Chinese settings is rare. Much of the existing landscape research and tourism interpretation literature are guided by hegemonic Eurocentric principles developed for Western tourists. This body of knowledge may not be suitable to explain the nuances of the Chinese market or other non-Western cultural phenomenon. This thesis addresses these issues by exploring how Chinese visitors construct meaning in a foreign and exotic tourist landscape – Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park in Australia.A qualitative ethnographic approach guided by the constructivism paradigm was employed. Multiple techniques were adopted, including visitor employed photography, accompanied walk, interviews and reflexive diaries. A purposive sample consisting of 53 first-time Chinese travellers in small groups of two to four people was recruited at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, Australia. The research process involved a recorded researcher accompanied leisure walk and an immediate semi-structured interview. Visitor photographs taken during the walk were collected in the interview, and researcher notes were taken to complement field observations. A research protocol was used in conducting fieldwork to ensure consistency.A thematic content analysis (TA), five lines of inquiry image analysis and conversational analysis (CA) were used in tandem to analyse both visual and textual data. Both manual coding and QSR-Nvivo 12 were used to manage the analysis. The analysis revealed five broad dimensions that characterise Chinese visitors’ landscape perception, namely, sensory interaction, spatial and temporal perception, affective engagement, symbolic imagination, and (inter)subjective and social construction. Grounded in social and cultural contexts, the findings indicate that Chinese perceive the world in a humanistic way through the lens of relationship and morality, with the goal of establishing personal relevance, via analogies, imaginations, unlearning and introspections. Fundamentally, Chinese visitors’ landscape perception is guided by a paradoxical “both-and” principle that accepts opposing views co-exist and strive for individual and collective balance.Analysis also illustrates that popular culture, hedonic consumerism, new interpretations of philosophical knowledge, meaningful storytelling, (digital) social capital, and the state-orchestrated historical memories influence Chinese tourists’ landscape meaning-making. Traditional philosophy and cultural influences are still present but are less obvious. The findings further reveal that the social and cultural contexts in China facilitate personal growth, and self- and social transformations. Based on these understandings, recommendations for tailoring on-site interpretation for Chinese tourists are provided.This thesis responds to the Euro-centric criticism in landscape research and proposes a multi-faceted visitor landscape perception framework. This framework synthesises and advances our fragmented knowledge of how outbound Chinese visitors perceive ‘foreign’ tourism landscapes. As one of the pioneering attempts to uncover landscape perception through the lived tourism encounters, this research unveils the unique and complex ways Chinese visitors ‘make sense of’ landscapes, and questions whether Eurocentric approaches to interpreting landscapes are likely to resonate with non-Western audiences. Practical recommendations on the design of meaningful site interpretation for Chinese tourists are provided. The limitations of this thesis and agenda for future research opportunities are discussed.

Mountainous scenic spots are important tourism resources, and the study of tourists' landscape perception and emotional preference when visiting them is beneficial to the management of scenic spots in order to improve the service quality and promote the protection, development, and utilization of scenic resources. In this paper, we use the location photo data of tourists at Huangshan Mountain to extract the visual semantic information of location photos, calculate the photo sentiment value, and mine the landscape perception and sentiment preference features of tourists using DeepSentiBank image recognition model and photo visual semantic quantification method. The results show the following: (1) Huangshan tourists mainly focus on nine types of photos, with the most attention paid to the category of mountain rock landscapes and the least attention paid to the category of animal landscapes. (2) In terms of spatial distribution, the landscape types of tourist photos show the spatial characteristics of "concentrated into a belt", "significant nucleus", and "fragmented distribution". The spatial variation of the emotional value of tourists' photos is significant, and the high values are mainly distributed at the entrances and exits, interchanges, and famous attractions. (3) On a temporal scale, the type of perception of the Huangshan location photograph landscape shows a significant imbalance. The emotional values of tourists' photos vary significantly, with a "slowly sloping straight line" type of emotional change on the seasonal scale, a "W" type of emotional change on the monthly scale, an "N" type of emotional change on the weekly scale, and an "M" type of emotional change on the hourly scale. This study attempts to explore the landscape perceptions and emotional preferences of tourists in mountainous scenic areas with new data and methods, aiming to promote the sustainable and high-quality development of mountainous scenic areas.

Tourists’ landscape perceptions and preferences in a Scandinavian coastal region