Legalities on Sensing Soundscapes

Tourists’ wellbeing in nature, experienced both subjectively and objectively, is related to sensing nature, which leads to one’s own perception. In this process for one’s own perception, individual tourists may form either a positive or negative relationship with the nature they experience. Departing from this position, this chapter brings together one of the five sensory aspects, namely hearing sounds, epitomized as soundscapes. The soundscapes, then, are further reflected in conjunction with the legalities, providing insight into the well-being of nature tourism. Overall, the chapter aims to gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected nature of sensing, perception, and the legalities that support well-being in nature-based tourism. Borrowing from Buddhist philosophy of perception, two different perspectives on “how one can perceive” are presented, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of regulating soundscapes for wellbeing in nature tourism. The legal aspects in this chapter are offered through a case study of the Finnish legal system.