Natural quiet: An additional feature reflecting green tourism development in conservation areas of Greece

• Environmental values should line with tourism to ensure nature's conservation.
• The study examines the role of quietness in green tourism growth.
• Quiet protected areas were related to, and thus reflecting, green tourism development.
• Quietness was identified as the prevalent feature of green tourism development.
• Quietness should be preserved or eco-managed by means of green tourism.

The role of nature in tourism is widely acknowledged; yet, information remains limited about the determinants of green tourism development within conservation areas. Here, we aimed to provide a framework for exploring the supportive role of quietness in green tourism development. Because natural quietness is expected to facilitate conservation and promote environment-friendly tourism, we tested whether quiet areas within conservation sites in Greece indicate “hotspots” of green tourism. We found that the percentage of quietness was related to environment-friendly tourism, indicating that the acoustic value of a site contributes towards driving the pattern of green tourism. When more than 30% of the surface area of a conservation site was quiet, activities supporting green tourism were significantly higher. This threshold implies that both the conservation and acoustic value of a site are important in environment-conscious tourism destinations. Overall, we suggest that the acoustic quality of a site might function as a tool for management, facilitating the identification of green tourism “hotspots”.

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