The ethics of play,leisure, and recreation in the twentieth century, 1900–1983

Abstract

The association between play, leisure, recreation, value, and free choice leads to the problem of ethics. The purpose of this study was to describe the absolute ultimate end (the highest good) and its relation to play, leisure, and recreation in the twentieth century. This problem was approached by perusing literature from the period 1900 through 1983. Writers were organized by category and period, accompanied by explanation of how play, leisure, and recreation were related to the highest good. Eighty writers considered the question of the absolute ultimate end. Nine categories were discerned, dominated by divine ends and happiness. Play, leisure, and recreation were variously connected with the ultimate ends as both ends and means. Additionally, the practical implications of ethics are discussed using several examples. A partnership between science and philosophy is recommended for further study of ethics. Philosophy of leisure, however, must be revived for this alliance to     

Households’ participation in and expenditure on recreation and tourism in Pakistan

We employ Heckman selection models and Probit, OLS techniques to estimate the effect of socio-economic factors on household participation in and expenditure on recreation and tourism in Pakistan. Results show that income, education, region and women’s empowerment increase the probability of households in participation in on recreational and tourism while the number of adults and children in the households decreases probability. Similarly, household income and age of the household head positively but the number of adults and children negatively affect households’ expenditure on tourism. Strategies and policies in favor of low income and large families’ participation in tourism are recommended.     

Backpacker tourism: sustainable and purposeful? Investigating the overlap between backpacker tourism and volunteer tourism motivations

Alternative tourism, particularly backpacker and volunteer tourism, has developed significantly in recent times. This rapid development has contributed to criticism of potential negative effects, notably of the environmental, cultural, economic and social impacts associated with backpacker tourism. Volunteer tourism, by contrast, has been seen in positive terms as more sustainable, combining altruistic motivations with the travel concept. This paper explores backpacker interest in volunteer tourism and identifies overlaps in motivations between the two forms of tourism; 249 self-administered questionnaires were collected from backpackers within backpacker hostels in central Melbourne, Australia. The findings of this study suggest that a motivational overlap exists between backpacker and volunteer tourists, indicating potential for the creation of volunteer tourism products catering specifically for the backpacker market. This may encourage more sustainable tourism experiences within the burgeoning backpacker market, thus addressing some of the negative criticism of the latter. This paper also discusses the implications of these findings for the marketing and development of volunteer tourism products for both the backpacker and volunteer tourism markets.     

The changing world of women and leisure: Feminism, ‘postfeminism’ and leisure

Since sport is accorded such a significant position within national popular culture, it assumes corresponding importance in producing, reproducing and challenging racial myths. This paper explores how dominant notions of black physicality are embedded in sports practice and how such assumptions may be challenged. To do this we shall offer a critique of existing literature and, importantly, draw on empirical evidence from a recent study of the nature and extent of racism in rugby league. Together these allow us to explore tacit racism, that which is hidden and normalized by language and culture. At the heart of this are stereotypes of 'race' and racial qualities, created by white hegemonic culture with their significance perpetuated by society, including the people who experience the stereotyping. These cultural productions maintain inequalities even after the caricatures they portray may have changed. We examine how these historically specific images are formed and justified (and thereby normalized) and how they have material effects through the actions of coaches, managers, chairmen and players. Finally, we shall review how the sports arena can be used to challenge racist stereotypes to offer necessary, though not sufficient, conditions to begin to change social relations more generally.     

Leisure sciences and leisure studies: Different concept,same crisis?

This article suggests that although United Kingdom leisure studies and North American leisure sciences are characterized by different epistemological, methodological, and theoretical perspectives, they have both arrived at a similar recognition: their relative failure to develop an understanding of the societal, cultural, and individual meanings associated with leisure. The predominantly sociological leisure studies has adopted a society in leisure approach, exploring how broader sociocultural structures are reflected in leisure and largely ignoring issues of individual meaning. The predominantly sociopsychological leisure sciences, with its stress on positivist methodology, has often produced analyses of leisure without society and failed to address issues of the social and cultural meanings associated with leisure. Assertions about a “postmodern condition”; have highlighted the gaps in leisure studies’ understanding of leisure meanings, and critics within leisure sciences have argued that the predominance of one methodology mitigates against adoption of the qualitative methodologies necessary to address the increasingly important issues of leisure diversity and meaning.     

Disproportionate sampling and recreation demand estimation with the 1980 national survey of fishing,hunting, and wildlife‐associated recreation

Abstract

Data on recreation activity often are obtained from national surveys using stratified, disproportionate sampling. One such survey is the 1980 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife‐Associated Recreation (1980 Survey). This paper examines the effect of disproportionate sampling on estimates of recreational fishing demand with data from the 1980 Survey. Contrary to some expectations in the literature, disproportionate sampling appears to cause few problems for demand estimation with the 1980 Survey. The evidence suggests that household characteristics determining sampling ratios have little relation to the level of fishing by household members.     

Lifestyle,leisure and pluralism — a response

In this paper we use data from the Scottish Young People's Surveys in order to examine the effects of post-16 experiences and social class on the leisure patterns of young people with an average age of just over 19 years. We analyse leisure patterns in relation to labour market status and assess the longer term effects of post-16 experiences on young people's leisure activities. We argue that young people's social class and experiences after the age of 16 have an important and lasting effect on their subsequent leisure patterns.     

Defining an emerging tourism industry sub-sector: Who are the strata titled tourism accommodation stakeholders?

This study represents the first providing a definition of the strata titled tourism accommodation (STTA) sub-sector of the tourism industry. This definition is achieved by identifying the stakeholders that collectively comprise the sub-sector. There is a paucity of prior research concerned with this increasingly significant form of tourism accommodation (Pizam, 2006). This is despite the significance of accommodation to the tourism economy (Cooper et al., 1998) and STTA's rapid growth (Guilding et al., 2005). Stakeholder theory has been drawn upon to explore, identify and classify the key players involved in the Australian STTA sector. The study also provides a commentary on the different STTA roles played by the stakeholders and the nature and extent of their perceived engagement with the tourism industry.     

Perfect pregnancy? Pregnant bodies,digital leisure and the presentation of self

Pregnant women are increasingly engaging with social media as a form of digital leisure. In doing so, they subject themselves to normalised images of pregnant bodies communicating unrealistic ideals. Instagram is a culturally communicative and visual platform and a pervasive context in which to explore body discipline and regulation. The current research utilised discourse analysis to explore dominant discourse surrounding pregnant women’s bodies through their self-presentation on Instagram, uncovering potential areas of challenge and resistance. Content was selected from 60 user-generated posts from 16 pregnant women’s personal accounts on Instagram. Results explore themes of ‘The “Perfect Pregnancy and Middle-class, Consumptive Ethic”’, ‘Doing Exclusive Heteronormative Pregnant Femininity’ and ‘Self-surveillance & Hyper-visibility of the Digital Fleshy Pregnant Body’. These themes identified how pregnant women embody dominant discourse regarding neo-liberalism, consumption, traditional medicine, heteronormativity, and hegemonic masculinity, and use this to engage in self-surveillance, policing, and monitoring of their pregnant bodies. A final theme Rejecting the ‘Perfect Pregnancy’, Reworking (and Reproducing) Dominant Ideals’ is uncovered, outlining alternative posts by the women that offer resistance to the dominant discourse, however examples are infrequent and lack evidence of conscious and overt politicisation. Future research should focus on pregnant women’s self-interpretation of social media engagement and the pregnant bodies excluded from this discourse.     

Tourists’ happiness: are there smart tourism technology effects?

The purpose of this study is to develop a research model demonstrating tourists’ value-seeking processes through the tourism services and travel experiences of a destination. The model suggests that tourist happiness is assessed by tourists’ perceived experiences, which are formed by two motivational values: smart tourism technology (STT) and destination value. Despite a large quantity of research attention on destination tourism, the relation between tourists’ destination experience and STT has been less enthusiastically studied. Therefore, this study proposes to test an integrated model with attributes of STTs and destination values that contribute to tourists’ life happiness. The results of this study, from a survey of 191 foreign tourists in Seoul, South Korea, indicate that tourists are likely to put more value on what they perceived from their destination travel experiences than what they perceived from their experiences with STT services when they evaluate their overall happiness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

From frozen continent to tourism hotspot? Five decades of Antarctic tourism development and management,and a glimpse into the future

Representing the main commercial activity on the Antarctic continent, Antarctic tourism is increasingly thrust into the limelight as both benefactor and detractor to the environmental and political integrity of Antarctica. In view of its unprecedented growth, questions arise about the limitations of future tourism development in Antarctica. This paper assesses Antarctic tourism development over the last five decades and evaluates its current and future status from the viewpoints of Antarctic tourism stakeholders. This assessment is informed by interviews with Antarctic tourism stakeholders and a Delphi study undertaken in 2007. The authors found that Antarctic tourism stakeholders are concerned about the increasing scale and diversification of Antarctic tourism and generally subscribe to a conservation imperative when expressing their hopes for the future use of Antarctica and the development of Antarctic tourism. In conclusion, the rapid development of Antarctic tourism requires structural, institutional and legislative changes if Antarctic tourism regulation is to remain successful.     

Women,gender, leisure and place: towards a more ‘humanistic’ geography of women's leisure

A growing interest in the role of place in social processes has led to a recognition of the need to incorporate these ideas into the study of leisure and recreation. A critique of the traditional geographical approach to the study of leisure and recreation is followed by a brief review of the geography of gender and humanistic geography literature, indicating the possible contribution that some of the perspectives contained in this material can make to our understanding of women's leisure. In conclusion, it is argued that it is only through developing a deeper understanding of the way individuals and groups perceive different places, with their complex mosaics of gender and class relations, that a more complete, more contextual representation of women's leisure can emerge.     

Public and commercial leisure provision: active citizens and passive consumers?

Despite differing domain assumptions, the various perspectives in leisure studies have largely concentrated on providing a negative critique of ideologies of consumerism and the supposed ‘passivity’ of commercial leisure, often juxtaposed to the supposedly more ‘participatory’ and inclusive nature of public leisure provision. This concern with the mode of production and access has resulted in a failure to develop systematic sociological understandings of acts of consumption. It has also limited theoretical and empirical exploration of the extent to which new forms of consumerism may have served to re-define ‘leisure citizenship’ and the relationship between leisure and social exclusion. The article reviews the various perspectives and suggests that, despite differing domain assumptions there is a growing recognition within leisure studies of the need to move beyond a political defence of the ‘excluded’ to develop an empirically grounded sociological understanding of modern leisure forms.     

Film tourism – Evolution,progress and prospects

Film tourism has emerged as a major growth sector for research in tourism and it is widely recognised as a driver of tourism development for many destinations. To date, there has been a relatively substantial literature on the subject, little of which has sought to synthesise and engage with the wider social science paradigm of culture, film and media research. The aim of this Progress Review is to critically evaluate film tourism as a subject of cross-disciplinary academic study, highlighting the major research themes, issues and contributing conceptual frameworks, critiquing existing and developing perspectives and addressing critical gaps in knowledge. This review is particularly timely as the literature on film tourism has not been synthesised from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Accordingly, this paper seeks to provide a road map of the exponential growth in social science literature associated with the cognate areas that study, or contribute to, film tourism.