The consequences of forty years of tourism growth

Leisure travel has become a major lifestyle in the United States since World War II. This paper describes the social, economic, and technological changes that have been adopted by the industry and society during three eras of travel evolution. A synoptic view of the development of travel is provided by a review of five travel industry components: transportation, attractions, facilities and services, information, and the consumer. Emphasis is placed on the consequences of the adoption of major social and technological innovations that have impacted this vibrant industry and will continue to do so in the future. The paper concludes with eight observations on the present and future status of leisure travel in the United States.     

Liberation wars and tourism development in Africa : The case of Zambia

Development of Africa's immense tourism potential is severely limited for reasons including lack of capital, distance from the large North American and European markets, the cost of travel to Africa, and Africa's poor image abroad. A key factor contributing to this image problem is political instability. Since World War II, almost all African countries have achieved independence. In several countries, this decolonization process has taken the form of long and often bloody liberation wars. This paper examines the impact of Zimbabwe's protracted liberation war on tourism development in Zambia and suggests that a detailed examination of major internal and external political events associated with the decolonization process in Zimbabwe could provide important perspectives on the obstacles to tourism development in other African countries.     

Towards a geography of tourism

This paper traces the development of geographical interest in tourism during the past half century and examines the range and scope of the geography of tourism. The available literature is reviewed and suggestions are made regarding possible research aveneus and theoretical developments. Six major areas of interest are identified: spatial aspects of supply, spatial aspects of demand, the geography of resorts, patterns of movements and flows, the impact of tourism, and models of tourist space. Through an emphasis on spatial interaction an attempt is made to provide some cohesion and synthesis for this body of knowledge which constitutes the basis of the geography of tourism.     

The rediscovery of America: Elite automobile touring

The automobile has radically changed tourist habits this century. In the first decade it was enthusiastically embraced by a small, wealthy elite. In America this elite “rediscovered” the romantic northeastern scenery painted by the Hudson Valley School of artists. This process is documented both in the general elite tourist literature of the period and in a specific case study from an elite summer colony. In the second decade “mass followed class.” Cheaper automobiles allowed the middle classes to follow the elite tourists of the first decade. The elite began to lose interest in the automobile as something exclusive to them, and turned their attention to the possibilities for touring of aviation.     

The geography of tourism: An introduction

The geography of tourism is limited by a dearth of published research in geographic journals, the relatively few individuals who actively participate in the sub-discipline, and the lack of prestige the subject matter specialty has in geography. Despite these imperfections geographers make important contributions to the study of tourism because of their unique point-of-view. This characteristic perspective is seen in the context of a conceptual frame-of-reference which consists of a matrix based on two trichotomies. An analysis and interpretation of this framework and its application to the nine substantive articles included in the special issue constitute a majority of the article.     

Towards Strategic Intent: Perceptions of disability service provision amongst hotel accommodation managers

The tourism sector globally has become increasingly mindful of how an ageing population is reshaping service provision forms and offerings. This being particularly true of accommodation operations where there is a now a growing recognition of the commercial value for providing market groups with exceptional service. With this in mind, this study sought to ascertain the perceptions of managers in the accommodation sector towards disability service provision with a view to identifying any current service gaps or failings. An inductive, qualitative approach was used with the data collection phase incorporating a series of one on one interviews and a focus group. The in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 managers of hotels deemed to have accessible rooms that complied with the relevant building codes and standards. A focus group comprised 22 managers of hotels located in the Sydney central business district, Australia. Study findings revealed five key themes that had not been previously discussed in the literature. They were: inclusive attitudinal approach; safety; the responsibility of people with a disability to communicate their needs to the hotel; perceptions of accessible rooms by the general public; and operational processes. Related themes that emerged from the data analysis that had previously been aligned with the literature included: legislative responsibility, policy and building codes; disability as a market segment; staff awareness/training; and language, marketing, and promotion information. Implications with respect to management of accessible rooms in the accommodation sector are outlined and further areas of research are proposed.     

The failure of ‘control’ in the hospitality industry

This paper explores the relationship between the literature on the issue of control and the realities of the hospitality industry. Management control is related to the unsanctioned entrepreneurial activities of operatives (illustrated by the ‘taxi scam’), the failure of computer systems used to control operatives, and the failure of the hospitality industry to exploit the potential of the new technology. The paper suggests that management's (and a significant part of the literature in this area) failure within hospitality is linked to the perception of the role of the hospitality manager as one of policing the industry.     

A tourist space-time budget in the Shetland Islands

This paper addresses the need to better understand tourist pressure in selected regions of the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom, using measures of space, time, perception, region, and core-periphery. Normally an economic theory, core-periphery was applied in the context of this study as a locational and mental construct in examining tourism group movement (behavior). Respondents were placed into two groups on the basis of their activitybased motivations for visiting Shetland and asked to complete a daily space-time budget regarding their use of attractions, facilities, accommodation, and transportation. It was discovered that both groups differed marginally in their space-time use of the aforementioned variables within the various regions of Shetland.     

The promise of creative/participatory mapping practices for sport and leisure research

This paper provides an introduction to the concept of creative participatory mapping of human–environment relations. It is identified that within human geography, artistic practice and urban design, biomapping and similar community mapping tools and methodologies are increasingly being embraced. However, within sports and leisure research the concept has yet to gain academic attention. Consequently, this paper provides a basis for thinking about how researchers and research participants in the fields of sport and leisure research might benefit if mapping human–environment relations was to be embraced and integrated into research design practices. Referencing recent turns to studying space and affect within sport and leisure studies, mapping is argued to offer innovative methodological opportunities for studying how people relate to and understand the urban environments in which they practice physical activity and leisure forms of embodiment. The paper concludes by arguing that, along with offering up new avenues for conceptual research, mapping human–environment relations, if readily embraced, can go a long way to fostering community engagement in: the identification of (un)safe urban routes for sport/leisure practice (e.g. running, cycling), the development and site identification of health/physical activity initiatives and the design of urban landscapes of sport/leisure.     

Organized Youth Sport and Parenting in Public and Private Spaces

This article examines the connection of organized youth sport to cultural beliefs, values and practices of contemporary parenting ideologies, specifically the idealization of intensive mothering and involved fathering. It explores how parenting ideologies are constructed by the discourses expressed by individuals in their everyday lives through their children's sport participation. Moreover, the analysis of the parental discourse illustrates how parenting goes beyond the home environment and becomes a public act that is observed by other parents, with these observations creating the basis of what is deemed to be a good parent. Emphasis is also placed on the gendered dimensions of meeting the expectations for being a good parent.     

Leisure and the rich today: Veblen's thesis after a century

This paper calls for a revisionist reading of the thesis of the leisure class. Veblen's great work The Theory of the Leisure Class (1899) argued that society is ruled by a leisure class. The primary identifying characteristics of this class are prodigious wealth, voluntary abnegation from pecuniary labour and conspicuous consumption. Veblen's argument suggested the decomposition of the work ethic because the characteristics cultivated by the rich would be emulated by the lower orders. Schor's The Overworked American (1991) work suggests that overwork, not leisure is one of the primary identifying characteristics of postwar culture. The article uses statistical and biographical data on the rich today to provide a counterpoint to Veblen's thesis. It is argued that the rich are not characterized by a rejection of work. On the contrary the richest people in the world typically work longer hours than the average. For these individuals work adopts a play form which probably contrasts sharply with wider social experience. Data on the leisure of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Richard Branson is examined to assemble a position on leisure and the rich which contrasts with the Veblen thesis.     

Souvenirs: Icons of meaning, commercialization and commoditization

This article examines the development of souvenirs research in tourism studies. It looks at souvenirs from four broad vantage points, namely historical perspectives on souvenirs research, souvenirs as messengers of meaning, souvenirs as tradable commodities and the commodification of souvenirs and handicrafts. Part of this includes the supply and demand aspects of souvenir production and consumption, including the distribution system and various aspects of producers. The paper also considers the commodification process of native arts and crafts into consumable tourism products and suggests future directions for additional works in this understudied area of tourism research.     

The BYOB of wine phenomenon of consumers in the Australian licensed on-premise foodservice sector

The overall aim of this baseline exploratory study was to explore the behaviour of wine consumers while dining out in the licensed on-premise sector of foodservice outlets in Australia. It examined the incidence and dynamics of the rather unique situation associated with wine in these outlets, namely the “bring-your-own-bottle of wine” (BYOB) phenomenon. A total of 816 respondents provided information regarding their most recent dining out experience. It was found that the BYOB of wine phenomenon is quite prevalent in Australian licensed on-premise foodservice outlets with 26% of all diners reporting that they had engaged in this the last time they dined out. Females engaged in the BYOB of wine to a greater extent than males and cited the lower cost to them as the main reason. Evidence was also found that the main motivating factor for the BYOB of wine phenomenon among diners was their risk perception levels and that it was therefore employed by consumers mainly as a risk-reduction strategy (RRS). This study showed that the BYOB of wine phenomenon should be added to the knowledge base on generic risk-reduction strategies of the on-premise foodservice sector.     

IMPACT OF AN ECONOMIC CRISIS Evidence from Turkey

This paper evaluates the impact of the 2001 economic crisis on the tourism industry in Turkey. The research findings reveal that neither the government nor private organizations had any plans for dealing with the crisis before or after the event. It had both negative and positive impacts although its benefits were often overlooked. The overall implication of the study is that national culture, the level of economic development of a country, the availability of financial resources, and the ability and knowledge of its government officials and managers of private firms have a direct impact on how such an event is responded to and managed.     

Community views of ecotourism

Ecotourism can be an incentive for conservation, especially when it triggers positive economic change. Yet it introduces many changes to communities:positive and negative, social and economic. The full range of change is seldom evaluated in direct relation to conservation at the local level. In this study of three Amazon ecotourism projects, local leaders discussed changes from ecotourism in their communities. Economic benefits were mentioned, but so were new restrictions on time, decreased reciprocity, and social conflict. Other changes included heightened self-esteem and greater community organization. Such shifts should be considered in relation to conservation as they affect the stability of local institutions and the prospects for long-term collective action for resource management.     

Hosts, guests and politics: Coastal Resorts Morphological Change

Resort morphology goes through a predictable sequence of stages: from pre-tourism low through high-density development to an urbanized state. Three elements are considered essential in such coastal resorts change: hosts, guests, and politics. Using historical data from the mass-developed Greek island of Crete, ten principal characteristics are identified as determinants of the morphological change of coastal resorts. A temporal model of unplanned change is also proposed. Although the study was constrained by limited data availability, the proposed model is deemed able to represent the morphological change of Cretan mass-developed coastal resorts.     

Residents’ perceptions of community tourism impacts

This study investigated residents’ perceptions of tourism’s impact on communities. Data were collected via a statewide survey, using social exchange theory; results suggest residents recognize many positive and negative consequences. Those who feel tourism is important for economic development, benefit from it, and are knowledgeable about the greater positive impacts, but do not differ from others with respect to perceptions of tourism’s negative consequences. It is becoming clear that broad-based education and awareness campaigns may be a step toward increased understanding of the industry and, ultimately, greater support of the benefits to a community.     

Second home second view : Host community perceptions

This paper discusses second home owners' perceptions of facilities and services within the community, and moves beyond previous research that addressed primary motivation for location decisions. A total of 513 respondents contributed information on outdoor and indoor recreational activities, tax-supported services, health-care services, environment, crowding, and increases in tourism within a Wisconsin second home community. Findings show that the second home owners may influence the facilities, services, and sociocultural aspects of the community. Second home owners' attitudes and perceptions may be as important in determining community direction as permanent resident perceptions.     

Tourism and regional development a genetic approach

Research on tourism and regional development should include a temporal perspective, for studies of contemporary and economic impact are, by themselves, insufficient to explain tourism's contribution to regional development. Such a genetic approach is used to examine the growth and impact of tourism in Queenstown, New Zealand. Events and interrelationships are examined over the last twenty-five years to show the process of growth, changes in the patterns of local and outside involvement and the increasing sophistication of a resort once based largely on scenic factors alone. Certain sectors of the industry have been developed primarily by individuals and companies from the local region, while others have been dominated by outsiders. Although the former contribute the most to regional development through local participation in the development process, external developments have also generated complementary growth. A consideration of events over a certain time span allows these different factors to be placed more clearly in the context of regional development.