Listening to the Sounds of Silence

This chapter presents findings from two case studies that aim to develop products for two foreign wellbeing tourism segments, namely Japanese and Chinese, which are among the top ten foreign target markets of Finland as a tourist destination. Forest-based wellbeing tourism is defined as tourism taking place in or near a forest environment, including physical activities, relaxation and/or stress relief in a forest, utilization of natural resources of forests and learning activities related to how to use natural resources for wellbeing purposes. According to several studies, it is widely believed that to come in contact with nature, especially with forest environments, is somehow beneficial to human wellbeing and comfort. Findings of this study indicate that simple things, like experiencing nature with all senses, and especially feeling the sounds of silence, can be a refreshing and rejuvenating experience for those who live their everyday lives in hectic environments.