Vanua and the people of the Fijian highlands: Understanding sense of place in the context of nature-based tourism development

Sense of place meanings were addressed with Fijian Highlanders experiencing nature-based tourism development. Using cultural consensus analysis we found that sense of place was represented through multiple themes, yet Fijian Highlanders did not show a high degree of consensus or homogeneity with respect to sense of place. This lack of homogeneity may be due to a number of factors including, but not limited to, the introduction of a new economic option into the villages, inherent differences between individuals who were born in the village versus those who have moved into the village due to marriage, spatial scale differences, and/or the transitory nature of younger residents. Looking toward the future, the authors explore the potential outcomes of additional research with similar populations and/or methods.