Dr Shaohua Wang is a postdoctoral researcher in tourism at the University of Girona. Her research focuses on spiritual tourism, nature-based tourism, and the spiritual and ontological entanglements between humans and nature. She has published in leading international journals, including Annals of Tourism Research, Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, and Current Issues in Tourism. She also serves as a regional focal point (East Asia) for Young Professionals in the IUCN WCPA.
Publications:
[1] Wang, S., & Liburd, J. (2026). Evolving pathways for spiritual tourism in protected areas. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 7(1), 100204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2026.100204. (invited submission).
[2] Wang, S., Verschuuren, B., Hamzah, A., & Blasco, D. (2026). Tourism and extraordinary ordinary life. Annals of Tourism Research, 116, 104077. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2025.104077
[3] Wang, S., Blasco, D., Verschuuren, B., & Hamzah, A. (2024). Seeking transcendence in the depths of the soul: an exploration into current spiritual journeys. Current Issues in Tourism, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2024.2444534. Free version (AM version).
[4] Wang, S., Blasco, D., Hamzah, A., & Verschuuren, B. (2023). Tourists and ‘philosophers’: Nature as a medium to consciousness and transcendence in spiritual tourism. Annals of tourism research, 99, 103543. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2023.103543
[5] Wang, S., & Blasco, D. (2022). East meets West: Spiritual tourism in Chinese protected areas. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 3(1), 100035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2022.100035