Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are human actions inspired by or copied from nature to enhance sustainable urbanization. Related initiatives often focus on restoring degraded ecosystems, mitigating or adapting to climate change, and improving risk management and resilience. This study explored how NBS are perceived by the young generations, GenY and GenZ. The study also sought to determine if NBS might be capable of attracting young visitors to a specific area.
Researchers administered an online questionnaire to university students belonging to GenY (age 18-22) and GenZ (age 23-37). The questionnaire was designed to test four hypotheses: GenY have a good knowledge of NBS; GenZ have a good knowledge of NBS; Gen Y is interested in visiting NBS sites; Gen Z is interested in visiting NBS sites. All recipients of the questionnaire were students at the University of Turin, Italy. The Green Crown, located in the peri-urban area of Turin, was used as a concrete example of an NBS site with potential to attract visitors. The questionnaire included four sections: one focusing on demographic information; one on students' knowledge and perceptions of NBS; one on the students' tourism behaviors and interests; and one on their understanding of and interest in the Green Crown project.
A total of 1543 students responded to the survey - 66% were female; 34% male. The majority (53%) belonged to GenZ; the others (47%) a part of GenY. Female respondents from both GenY and GenZ reported being very interested in NBS and would consider an NBS site for their holidays. Young male respondents, on the other hand, were not as homogeneous in relation to NBS and showed high variability regarding the willingness to travel or spend some free time in an NBS site. This data show that “belonging to a gender is more powerful than the fact of belonging to GenY or GenZ in explaining the degree of knowledge of NBS and the attitude towards visiting an NBS site.”
While the overall results of this study are consistent with other studies showing that environmental considerations influence young generations' travel choices and behavior, tourism destination managers would do well to also note the gender difference. Attention to the interest young females show in NBS may be one way to promote more tourism to NBS sites. Also highlighted by the researchers is “the importance of actively involving young generations in the design and implementation of NBS and NBS sites.”
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