Introduction: reimagining innovation and sustainability in nature-based tourism

Purpose This paper introduces the special issue “Reimagining nature-based tourism: innovations, experiences and sustainability in tourism destinations” by positioning its eleven contributions in the wider nature-based tourism (NBT) literature and by outlining the questions the collection addresses. Design/methodology/approach The paper is structured as a guest-editorial viewpoint, using the NBT and sustainable tourism literature to frame the theme and categorize the contributions by the conceptual and geographical territory they cover. Findings Eleven papers from Turkey, Iran, South Africa, Anatolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, together with two literature-wide reviews of technology and sustainability in tourism, show the global importance of balancing experiential and economic potential with responsible management and promote pride in different points of view. Originality/value The issue provides a multidimensional, geographically diverse perspective on rethinking nature-based destinations in practice, bringing together qualitative, netnographic, bibliometric and conceptual studies under a common integrative frame.