The Role of Place Attachment in Adventure Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

The Role of Place Attachment in Adventure Tourism: A Systematic Literature Review

Mohd Helme Basal^1*, Azlizam Aziz², Nor Akmar Abdul Aziz³, Mohd Aswad Ramlan⁴, Shahazwan Mat Yusoff⁵, Mohd Noorazlan Ab Aziz⁶

^1,2,3,4Faculty of Forestry and Environment, University Putra Malaysia, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

⁶Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, University Technology MARA Shah Alam 40450 Selangor, Malaysia.

⁵Department of Curriculum & Instructional Technology, Faculty of Education, University Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

^*Corresponding author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90400329

Received: 06 April 2025; Accepted: 09 April 2025; Published: 13 May 2025

ABSTRACT

Adventure tourism has emerged as a rapidly expanding sector, driven by travellers seeking immersive, high-intensity, and nature-based experiences. Unlike conventional tourism, adventure tourism emphasizes physical engagement, risk, and personal transformation, making place attachment a crucial yet underexplored factor in understanding tourist behaviour. This systematic literature review (SLR) examines how place attachment has been conceptualized in tourism studies, the most relevant dimensions of place attachment in adventure tourism, and its impact on destination loyalty and revisitation. Using the PRISMA approach, 51 studies were initially identified, with 17 meeting the inclusion criteria for further analysis. The findings reveal that place attachment in adventure tourism is shaped by four primary dimensions: place identity, place dependence, place affect, and social bonding, though their significance varies depending on tourist motivations and activity types. Unlike heritage or cultural tourists who form deep emotional bonds with destinations over time, adventure tourists often prioritize novelty and mobility, leading to a paradox in their attachment behaviours. While strong place attachment can foster repeat visitation and advocacy behaviours, many adventure tourists exhibit indirect loyalty, promoting destinations through word-of-mouth rather than repeat visits. The study highlights the need for destination managers to cultivate emotional connections through branding, storytelling, and sustainability initiatives. Future research should explore the temporal aspects of place attachment and its impact on tourist satisfaction and long-term engagement. This review contributes to the growing discourse on psychological and behavioural aspects of adventure tourism, offering insights for both academia and industry practitioners.

Keywords: Place Attachment, Adventure Tourism, Destination Loyalty, Tourist Behaviour, Sustainable Tourism

INTRODUCTION

Adventure tourism has emerged as a rapidly growing segment within the global tourism industry, appealing to travellers seeking unique, immersive, and often physically demanding experiences. Unlike conventional tourism, adventure tourism is characterised by high levels of engagement with natural environments, perceived risk, and the pursuit of personal challenge and exhilaration (Pomfret & Bramwell, 2016; Luong & Nguyen, 2024). As more destinations capitalise on the increasing demand for adventure tourism, understanding the psychological and emotional factors that influence tourist behaviour becomes essential for sustainable destination management. One such critical factor is place attachment, a concept that has been widely explored in tourism literature but remains relatively underdeveloped in the context of adventure tourism. Place attachment refers to the emotional, cognitive, and functional bonds that individuals develop with specific places (Tasci et al., 2022). While it has been studied extensively in heritage, urban, and nature-based tourism, its role in adventure tourism requires further examination, as adventure tourists engage with destinations differently from conventional tourists, often prioritising novelty, challenge, and self-discovery over-familiarity and routine (Zhang et al., 2024).

The existing literature on place attachment in tourism predominantly focuses on its influence on tourist satisfaction, destination loyalty, and conservation behaviours (Kasumah, 2024; López-Sanz et al., 2021). Studies have shown that place attachment can foster repeat visitation, positive word-of-mouth recommendations, and emotional investment in a destination’s sustainability (Ramkissoon et al., 2013; Shen & Wang, 2023). However, adventure tourism presents unique complexities that may challenge the conventional understanding of place attachment. Adventure tourists often seek out destinations that offer new and diverse experiences, leading to questions about the strength and longevity of their attachment to a single location. Additionally, the intensity of adventure experiences, which often involve high levels of physical and psychological engagement, may lead to different forms of attachment compared to other tourism segments (Wong et al., 2021). These differences raise critical research questions about how place attachment manifests in adventure tourism, what dimensions are most relevant, and how it influences behavioural outcomes such as loyalty and revisitation.

The theoretical foundation of place attachment has been extensively explored in environmental psychology and human geography (Altman & Low, 1992; Scannell & Gifford, 2014). Early conceptualisations focused on the emotional and cognitive connections individuals form with places, often to residential settings, cultural landscapes, and natural environments (Tuan, 1977; Proshansky et al., 1983). In tourism studies, place attachment has been recognised as a key determinant of tourist loyalty, destination branding, and conservation behaviours (Ramkissoon & Mavondo, 2015; Williams & Vaske, 2003). Despite this extensive body of work, adventure tourism has been largely overlooked in place attachment research, creating a gap in understanding how high-intensity, risk-oriented, and nature-based experiences shape tourists’ emotional and behavioural connections to destinations (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013).

The dimensions of place attachment typically include place identity, place dependence, place affect, and place social bonding, all of which contribute to the strength and nature of an individual’s attachment to a location (Kyle et al., 2004; Williams & Vaske, 2003). Place identity refers to the extent to which a place becomes integrated into a person’s self-concept and sense of belonging, while place dependence relates to the functional aspects of a location that support specific activities (Stokols & Shumaker, 1981). Place affect captures the emotional responses tourists associate with a destination, and place social bonding focuses on the interpersonal connections formed through shared experiences in a location (Tasci et al., 2022). These dimensions have been widely validated in various tourism contexts, but their applicability to adventure tourism requires further empirical exploration. Unlike heritage or cultural tourism, where tourists may develop deep emotional bonds with specific locations over time, adventure tourists often seek dynamic and diverse experiences that may not result in strong attachments to a single destination (Kasumah, 2024).

One of the key debates in place attachment research is whether high-risk and physically immersive experiences contribute to stronger or weaker attachments compared to more conventional tourism experiences. Some studies suggest that the emotional intensity and personal transformation associated with adventure tourism can lead to deep and lasting attachments, particularly in activities such as mountaineering, scuba diving, and extreme sports (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013; Zhang et al., 2024). These experiences often foster a sense of mastery, resilience, and connection with nature, reinforcing emotional and cognitive bonds with a destination (Amatulli et al., 2021). However, other scholars argue that adventure tourists may prioritise novelty and variety over deep place attachment, as the desire to explore new destinations often outweighs the need for repeated visits to the same location (Lin et al., 2024). This paradox raises important questions about how place attachment functions in adventure tourism and whether it manifests differently compared to other tourism segments.

Another critical consideration is the role of place attachment in shaping tourist behaviour, particularly destination loyalty and sustainability. Research in tourism psychology has established that strong place attachment is positively correlated with repeat visitation, conservation efforts, and responsible tourism behaviours (Ramkissoon et al., 2013; Nguyen-Van et al., 2024). Tourists who feel emotionally connected to a destination are more likely to advocate for its protection, adhere to sustainable practices, and encourage others to visit (Chiwaridzo & Chiwaridzo, 2024). However, in adventure tourism, the relationship between attachment and loyalty is more complex, as tourists may develop deep but transient attachments, driven by intense but short-lived experiences (Pomfret & Bramwell, 2016; Mohamed et al., 2024). This distinction highlights the need for more nuanced studies that examine the temporal aspects of place attachment in adventure tourism settings.

In addition to destination loyalty, place attachment is increasingly being explored about mental well-being and psychological resilience. Studies in positive psychology and adventure tourism suggest that engaging with nature in physically challenging ways can have profound effects on mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013; Pomfret et al., 2023). Tourists who participate in adventure activities often report feelings of renewal, empowerment, and emotional connection to natural landscapes, which can enhance their attachment to a destination. However, there remains limited research on the long-term psychological impact of adventure tourism experiences and how they contribute to sustained place attachment. Understanding these psychological mechanisms is crucial for destination managers and tourism marketers looking to create meaningful and transformative adventure experiences that foster long-term engagement.

Given the limited research on place attachment in adventure tourism, this systematic literature review seeks to address these gaps by examining how place attachment has been conceptualized in tourism studies, identifying which dimensions of place attachment are most relevant to adventure tourism, and evaluating how place attachment influences destination loyalty and revisitation patterns. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following research questions:

1. How has place attachment been conceptualized in tourism studies?
2. What dimensions of place attachment (e.g., place identity, place dependence, place affect, and social bonding) are most relevant in adventure tourism?
3. How does place attachment contribute to destination loyalty and revisitation among adventure tourists?

METHODOLOGY

This systematic literature review adopts the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach to ensure a rigorous and transparent process in identifying and analysing relevant studies on the role of place attachment in adventure tourism. The PRISMA framework, as outlined by Moher et al. (2009), structures the systematic review process into four key phases: defining eligibility criteria, identifying information sources, selecting studies, and determining data collection methods. By following this structured approach, the present study ensures that only high-quality, peer-reviewed research is included in the synthesis. The PRISMA flow diagram (Figure 1) illustrates the step-by-step selection process, from the initial number of identified references through article screening and exclusion, leading to the final set of articles included in this review.

The eligibility criteria for this review were carefully established to ensure the inclusion of studies that specifically examine how place attachment influences tourist behaviour in adventure tourism settings. Studies were deemed relevant if they explored key dimensions of place attachment (e.g., place identity, place dependence, place affect, and social bonding) and their relationship with adventure tourism outcomes such as tourist satisfaction, destination loyalty, and revisitation intentions. Additional inclusion criteria required studies to focus on adventure tourists engaging in nature-based activities such as mountaineering, rock climbing, scuba diving, and white-water rafting, as these activities are most likely to foster strong emotional and functional connections to a destination. To maintain the relevance and recency of the review, only peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2024 in the English language were considered. Studies that focused on general tourism settings without specific reference to adventure tourism or place attachment were excluded. (See Table 1).

To ensure comprehensive coverage of the existing literature, the search was conducted across two major academic databases: Web of Science and Scopus. These databases were chosen due to their extensive repository of high-quality tourism research publications. Only peer-reviewed journal articles that had undergone external review were considered to ensure scientific rigour and credibility. Additionally, the reference lists of the identified articles were manually screened to uncover any additional relevant studies that may not have appeared in the initial database search.

The article selection process was conducted in a systematic, four-phase approach. First, a keyword search strategy was developed to ensure that the search terms accurately reflected the research interest in examining place attachment in adventure tourism. The search string was constructed based on core concepts such as ‘place attachment in adventure tourism,’ ‘place identity and adventure tourists,’ ‘place dependence in nature-based tourism,’ and ‘emotional bonds with adventure destinations’ (see Table 2). Related terms, including ‘tourist loyalty,’ ‘destination revisitation,’ ‘attachment to adventure locations,’ and ‘satisfaction in adventure tourism,’ were also incorporated to refine the search. The objective was to capture a wide range of studies exploring the relationship between place attachment and tourist behaviour in adventure tourism contexts.

Following the initial search, the identified articles were screened for relevance based on their titles and abstracts. Studies that aligned with the research scope were then subjected to a full-text review to assess their methodological rigour and contribution to the research questions. Articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria such as those focusing on general tourism, cultural tourism, or urban tourism without specific reference to adventure tourism and place attachment were excluded. The final set of selected studies underwent data extraction and synthesis, focusing on key themes such as conceptualizations of place attachment, its dimensions in adventure tourism, and its influence on destination loyalty and revisitation behaviours.

By employing the PRISMA approach, this systematic review ensures a structured, reproducible, and transparent method of evaluating the existing literature on the role of place attachment in adventure tourism. The findings provide valuable insights into how adventure tourists form emotional and functional connections with destinations, contributing to the broader understanding of tourist behaviour and destination management strategies in adventure tourism.

Figure 1. Stages of analysis (Adapted from Moher et al. 2009).

Table 1. Eligibility Criteria

The study employed thematic analysis as its primary qualitative methodology. As noted by Xu and Zammit (2020), qualitative analysis involves synthesising data through processes of interpretation and explanation. The analysis began with an extensive examination of 17 selected publications, with particular emphasis on the summary, results, and discussion sections. Subsequently, relevant data were extracted based on themes pertinent to the research questions, and these abstracted data were subjected to thematic analysis. This process encompassed identifying similarities, counting occurrences, clustering information, and detecting patterns and themes, as well as exploring relationships among them. The thematic analysis aims to identify and examine essential elements of the data in alignment with the research question (Clarke & Braun, 2013). Thematic analysis is widely regarded as the most effective approach for synthesising data within an integrative framework, such as a mixed-method research design (Flemming et al., 2019). Both deductive and inductive thematic analysis approaches were employed in the study. Deductive thematic analysis involved the identification of themes directly linked to the research question, while inductive thematic analysis focused on the identification of themes based on emerging patterns observed in the reviewed literature.

RESULT

A total of 51 studies were initially retrieved through the search process, of which 17 met the inclusion criteria and were further analysed. Table 3 outlines the characteristics of these studies, including authors, year, research design, measurement tools, sample size, and thematic focus. In terms of publication year, studies spanning from 2015 to 2024 were included. One article was published in 2015, one study in 2016, two studies in 2021, three in 2022 and 2023, and five in 2024. Regarding research design, the majority of the studies (8) employed qualitative methods, utilising interviews and observations to explore place attachment in adventure tourism. Three studies adopted mixed-methods approaches, integrating surveys and interviews for a more comprehensive understanding, while the quantitative studies (6) relied on surveys and standardised measurement tools to analyse place attachment dimensions. Sample sizes varied significantly across studies, with some involving small participant groups (as few as 5 respondents in qualitative interviews), while others incorporated large-scale surveys with over 2,400 participants.

Table 2. Literature search strategy.

Table 3. Characteristics of the studies.

How has place attachment been conceptualized in tourism studies?

Thematic analysis of the selected studies reveals that place attachment in tourism has been predominantly conceptualized through emotional, cognitive, and functional lenses. Most studies frame place attachment as a psychological construct consisting of multiple dimensions—namely place identity, place dependence, place affect, and social bonding. These dimensions were initially developed within environmental psychology and later adapted for tourism contexts. For instance, Peng et al. (2020) and Shen & Wang (2023) adopt frameworks derived from Proshansky’s and Williams & Vaske’s models, while Hall & Brown (2022) contextualize them in adventure settings by incorporating elements such as risk and transformation. Place attachment in adventure tourism is often associated with a heightened sense of self, driven by physically demanding and emotionally resonant experiences.

What dimensions of place attachment are most relevant in adventure tourism?

Analysis shows that although all four traditional dimensions of place attachment appear in the literature, their salience differs in adventure tourism:

• Place Identity becomes particularly significant when tourists repeatedly engage with a location and integrate the destination into their self-concept. This is evident in cases such as mountaineers or scuba divers who identify with specific sites. However, many adventure tourists, particularly one-time or short-term participants, may not develop a deep place identity due to their novelty-seeking behaviour.
• Place Dependence emerges strongly across studies (e.g., Lee & Tseng, 2015; Peng et al., 2023), as many adventure tourists select destinations based on activity-specific requirements. This functional attachment is especially relevant for specialized experiences like white-water rafting or rock climbing. However, its connection to emotional bonds is often weak, as these tourists may shift to similar destinations elsewhere.
• Place Affect or the emotional dimension is consistently emphasized. Adventure activities often generate strong emotional responses such as awe, thrill, and accomplishment, particularly in natural environments (Pomfret et al., 2023; Rezapouraghdam et al., 2024). While this emotional attachment can be intense, its temporal duration is often short-lived unless reinforced by repeated visits or memorable social experiences.
• Social Bonding, while present, is less emphasized in adventure tourism compared to other forms. Some studies, such as Mohamed et al. (2024), note that shared group experiences in activities like trekking or team-based adventures can foster social bonding. However, for solo or small-group adventurers, this dimension may be less relevant.

Overall, adventure tourists exhibit a hybrid attachment profile strong in dependence and affect, but weaker in identity and bonding unless specific personal or social reinforcements are present.

How does place attachment contribute to destination loyalty and revisitation among adventure tourists?

The review reveals a complex and nuanced relationship between place attachment and loyalty in adventure tourism. Unlike conventional tourists, adventure tourists may not demonstrate loyalty through revisitation due to their inherent desire for novelty and exploration (Chiwaridzo & Chiwaridzo, 2024; Nguyen-Van et al., 2024). However, emotional and functional bonds often manifest in indirect loyalty such as:

• Destination Advocacy: Tourists frequently recommend destinations they have emotionally connected with, even if they do not return. This behaviour is reinforced by digital sharing, storytelling, and social media promotion (Amatulli et al., 2021).
• Conservation and Pro-environmental Behaviour: Strong affective bonds, especially with natural landscapes, often lead to place-protective behaviours (Sthapit et al., 2023). Tourists become more invested in preserving the destinations they cherish, contributing to sustainability and local conservation initiatives.
• Revisitation Patterns: While not universal, revisitation does occur among tourists with high place dependence or those who develop identity-based attachment over time. Repeat visits are more likely when destinations offer evolving challenges or seasonal variations (Prayag et al., 2022).

Therefore, destination loyalty in adventure tourism is more accurately reflected through psychological commitment, emotional advocacy, and environmental stewardship rather than mere repeat visitation.

DISCUSSION

Firstly, the conceptual foundation of place attachment in tourism studies has evolved significantly from its early roots in environmental psychology (Altman & Low, 1992; Tuan, 1977). These foundational perspectives emphasized emotional and cognitive connections to physical spaces, particularly in residential and natural contexts (Scannell & Gifford, 2010). In tourism, this concept has been expanded to encompass behavioural intentions such as revisitation, satisfaction, advocacy, and environmental stewardship (Ramkissoon et al., 2013; Williams & Vaske, 2003). In the context of adventure tourism, place attachment takes on a distinct character due to the physically immersive, emotionally intense, and risk-laden nature of experiences (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013; Pomfret & Bramwell, 2016). Scholars such as Hall and Brown (2022) and Amatulli et al. (2021) have argued that these transformative experiences—marked by flow states, mastery, and self-transcendence necessitate revised conceptual models that account for the episodic and highly personalized nature of attachment in adventure tourism. Unlike traditional tourists, adventure travellers may not seek familiarity but instead find attachment through novelty, challenge, and personal growth (Luong & Nguyen, 2024; Zhang et al., 2024).

Secondly, regarding the relevance of place attachment dimensions in adventure tourism, this review found that place dependence and place affect are most salient. Place dependence, or the functional attachment to a location based on activity-specific features, is a key driver of site selection among adventure tourists (Lee & Tseng, 2015; Peng et al., 2023). Tourists engaged in specialized activities such as rock climbing or scuba diving often choose destinations that uniquely support these activities, thus fostering dependence even if emotional bonds remain weak (Prayag et al., 2022). Similarly, place affect—the emotional response to a destination—emerges prominently in adventure tourism due to the intensity of nature-based and risk-related experiences (Pomfret et al., 2023; Rezapouraghdam et al., 2024). Feelings of awe, excitement, and serenity contribute to short-term but potent emotional bonds with landscapes, wildlife, and ecosystems (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2013; Amatulli et al., 2021). However, the transient nature of these emotions raises questions about the longevity of affective attachment, especially among novelty-seeking tourists (Makanse & Huijbens, 2024; Lin et al., 2024).

In contrast, place identity and social bonding appear less consistently in adventure tourism. Place identity, or the integration of a destination into a person’s self-concept, tends to develop in cases of repeated or long-term engagement (Peng et al., 2020). For instance, individuals who habitually return to the same mountain or dive site may come to associate it with their identity as adventurers or conservationists (Cater et al., 2021). However, for most short-term visitors, such identity formation is limited. Social bonding, which emphasizes interpersonal relationships formed through shared experiences, is occasionally noted particularly in guided group expeditions or culturally immersive encounters (Mohamed et al., 2024). Still, it is often underdeveloped in solitary or pair-based adventure travel, where the focus is more on self-discovery and achievement than on community (Nguyen-Van et al., 2024).

Thirdly, the contribution of place attachment to destination loyalty and revisitation in adventure tourism is complex and often differs from patterns observed in other tourism segments. Traditional markers of loyalty, such as repeated visits, are less reliable in this context due to the mobility and novelty-seeking tendencies of adventure travellers (Chiwaridzo & Chiwaridzo, 2024; Lin et al., 2024). Tourists may develop a deep connection with a destination but still choose not to return, preferring to explore new challenges elsewhere. Instead, attachment in adventure tourism more frequently manifests as emotional loyalty including positive word-of-mouth, social media advocacy, and emotional support for conservation and sustainability initiatives (Amatulli et al., 2021; Sthapit et al., 2023). For example, a tourist may share captivating stories or recommend a destination to peers despite having no intention of revisiting it themselves.

Additionally, place attachment often contributes to pro-environmental behaviours and stewardship, particularly when affective bonds with nature are strong (Ramkissoon et al., 2013; Rezapouraghdam et al., 2024). Tourists who feel emotionally connected to a site are more likely to support sustainable tourism practices and advocate for its preservation (Lalicic & Garaus, 2022). Therefore, destination managers should not only aim to encourage repeat visitation but also to cultivate emotional, symbolic, and ethical attachment that can sustain brand loyalty across time and space even in the absence of physical return.

In conclusion, this discussion affirms that while place attachment remains a meaningful and influential construct in adventure tourism, its expressions are nuanced and shaped by the experiential, emotional, and motivational profiles of adventure travellers. Emotional intensity, activity-specific dependence, and value-driven alignment with environmental causes take precedence over long-term familiarity or nostalgia. Understanding these differences is essential for tourism scholars, marketers, and destination planners seeking to foster meaningful tourist–place relationships and promote sustainable engagement.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This systematic literature review has critically examined the role of place attachment in adventure tourism, focusing on how it has been conceptualized, its key dimensions, and its contribution to destination loyalty and revisitation. The findings reveal that place attachment in adventure tourism is a dynamic construct that diverges from other tourism forms due to the highly immersive, physically engaging, and risk-oriented nature of adventure experiences. While place identity, place dependence, place affect, and social bonding remain fundamental components of place attachment, their significance varies depending on tourists’ motivations, activity types, and the intensity of their interaction with a destination. The study emphasizes that adventure tourists may prioritize novelty and mobility over long-term emotional attachment to a single location, suggesting that loyalty in adventure tourism is more likely to manifest through advocacy and pro-environmental behaviours rather than revisitation alone.

Based on these findings, destination managers and tourism marketers must focus on cultivating emotionally resonant and transformative experiences that strengthen place attachment, particularly through place dependence and place affect. Adventure destinations should offer unique challenges and specialized experiences that engage tourists physically and emotionally, ensuring that the destination provides opportunities for personal growth and risk-taking. Incorporating seasonal variations, bespoke adventure packages, and immersive storytelling into branding efforts can enhance tourists’ emotional bonds to the place, fostering indirect loyalty through word-of-mouth recommendations and social media engagement. By crafting compelling narratives around the adventure experience, destinations can build long-term emotional connections, even if tourists do not frequently return.

In addition to emotional attachment, it is crucial for destination marketers to emphasize sustainability as part of the experience. As adventure tourists often form deep connections with natural environments, integrating conservation-focused activities into the tourism experience can leverage the emotional ties tourists form with the destination. Promoting pro-environmental behaviours and providing opportunities for active engagement in preserving the destination can deepen place attachment and inspire advocacy, ensuring that tourists not only visit but also contribute to the destination’s preservation. By addressing these specific dimensions of place attachment, adventure tourism destinations can strengthen both their appeal and long-term sustainability, ultimately enhancing destination loyalty through indirect channels such as advocacy and environmental stewardship.

Finally, sustainable tourism initiatives should be actively integrated into destination management plans, as strong affective and functional attachments to adventure destinations can be leveraged to promote conservation efforts, ethical travel, and responsible tourism behaviours. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in adventure tourist attachment, examining how place memory, nostalgia, and anticipated experiences shape continued engagement with adventure destinations over time. Additionally, empirical studies using mixed-method approaches can provide deeper insights into the psychological mechanisms underlying place attachment and its effects on tourist behaviour across different adventure tourism segments.

Authors’ Contribution

All authors have contributed significantly to this systematic literature review. Mohd Helme Basal conceptualised the research framework, supervised the literature search and data extraction, and led the manuscript preparation. Azlizam Aziz and Nor Akmar Abdul Aziz contributed to the development of the inclusion criteria, thematic categorisation, and methodological design. Mohd Aswad Ramlan and Mohd Noorazlan Ab Aziz was responsible for data analysis, synthesis of findings, and critical evaluation of the reviewed literature. Shahazwan Mat Yusoff provided theoretical insights, ensured alignment with systematic review protocols, and refined the manuscript for coherence and academic rigour. All authors participated in the writing and revision process, reviewed the final manuscript, and approved it for submission.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this study. The research was conducted independently, without any financial or personal relationships that could have influenced the results, interpretations, or conclusions presented in this paper

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors would like to express their deepest gratitude to all individuals and institutions that contributed to the successful completion of this systematic literature review on place attachment in adventure tourism. Special appreciation is extended to University Putra Malaysia, University Technology MARA, and University Malaya for their academic support and access to research databases, which were instrumental in retrieving high-quality peer-reviewed studies for this review. We also acknowledge the contributions of scholars whose work formed the foundation of this research, providing valuable insights into the theoretical and empirical dimensions of place attachment in tourism. Our sincere thanks go to our colleagues and reviewers for their constructive feedback and guidance throughout the research process.

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