Understanding the benefits of leisure in natural settings: a qualitative investigation at Yazılı Canyon Nature Park

Purpose This study examines visitor experiences at Yazılı Canyon Nature Park (YCNP) through the Benefits Theory of Leisure Well-Being (BT-LWB). Beyond exploring how nature-based recreation fulfills basic and growth needs, the study pursues two conceptual aims: proposing a heritage-mediated pathway that specifies how cultural assets amplify leisure well-being, and conceptualizing benefit deficiency, the condition in which the absence of an expected benefit generates active harm. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative phenomenological design was employed to capture lived experiences. Data were collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 17 visitors to YCNP and examined through a codebook thematic analysis conducted in MAXQDA, with 12 BT-LWB benefit categories serving as the analytical framework and coding consistency established through jointly negotiated consensus. Findings The park fulfilled basic needs (health, escape, sensory, and sensation-seeking) and growth needs (symbolic, aesthetic, mastery, relatedness, and distinctiveness), with the ancient inscriptions operating as well-being catalysts through the symbolic channel. Safety and moral deficits stemming from inadequate infrastructure and environmental neglect generated anxiety and moral distress that suppressed well-being, while the safety deficit paradoxically fostered mastery, differentiating deficits that challenge from deficits that violate. Originality/value The study extends the BT-LWB from a static inventory of benefits toward a dynamic account of amplifiers and detractors. The heritage-mediated pathway and the concept of benefit deficiency are advanced as provisional analytical tools for research and for the well-being-led management of nature-based heritage destinations.