“More Than Just a Run in the Park”: An Exploration of Parkrun as a Shared Leisure Space

ABSTRACT

Over the last 13 years, parkrun has grown from a small time trial in Bushy Park, London, to become a global social movement. During this time, much has been claimed about the potential health-related benefits from participating, but comparatively little attention has been given to the social reasons for attending. The aim of this study was to better understand the meanings of participation for both runners and volunteers using an intrinsic case study that focused on a specific event, Colwick parkrun in Nottingham, England. Building on literature that positions leisure sites as third places, the article seeks to enhance our understanding of parkrun as a community-based initiative. Data collection included observation, participant observation, semi-structured interviews (N = 19), and a survey (N = 235). Several themes emerged, suggesting that participation in parkrun provides an inclusive leisure space for casual sociability, as well as facilitating a shared experience of exercising with others.     

Identity in the “Road Racing Capital of the World”: heritage,geography and contested spaces

This article explores the complex relationship between sport and landscape and their role in the expression and maintenance of identity. While discussions have typically emphasised the role taken by stadia and sporting venues in the development and expression of sporting and national identities, fewer have considered the role taken by the wider landscape. It is this landscape that provides the context in which many sports are enacted and watched and it is through the embodied actions and experiences that landscape is given added meaning, reinforcing narratives of space that are implicated in the creation and maintenance of national identities. Yet here, unlike stadia or other sporting venues, space is much less regulated; as a result, participants and observers are also implicated in the creation of “counter geographies” that destabilise “official” narratives of space. Here our focus is on the contested landscapes of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Races; an event where sporting narratives have become materially and conceptually part of the landscape. Through a discussion of these landscapes and their expression in the Staying the Course exhibition curated by Manx National Heritage, we contend that geographies of sport must also reflect on the contested nature of sporting spaces.     

‘Women Doing Friendship’: an analysis of women's leisure as a site of identity construction,empowerment and resistance

Heavily subsidized entrance charges for public sport and recreation facilities are a central component of public leisure policy. This policy is based on the assumption that the cost of entrance represents a major obstacle to participation for a range of social groups. This article reports on a study (sponsored by the Scottish Sports Council) which examined the impact of increased entrance charges at a number of sports centres. Drawing on user and household surveys it suggests that, at current levels, the cost of entrance is an absolute barrier for a small number of people. However among committed participants it may act as a relative barrier by reducing the frequency of their participation. The data suggests that compared with other forms of leisure, sports participation is relatively cheap and that constraints on participation are more likely to be related to cultural attitudes underlying a lack of interest or life-style factors which limit free time available for sports and physical recreation.     

Children’s stories about team selection: a discourse analysis

The aim of our study was to identify and problematise messages and value principles visible in children’s stories about team selection in sport. To achieve this, we adopted a discourse analysis approach. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 24 children aged 10–11 years who participated in four team sports in 12 different Swedish sports clubs. Based on the children’s stories, the findings reveal two discourses of team selection: one participation/inclusion-oriented and one performance/exclusion-oriented discourse in which four different forms of team selection work. The participation/inclusion-oriented discourse constructs sport as a fun game that involves all participating children. The performance/exclusion-oriented discourse shows that coaches select the best children in the team to obtain the best chance of winning games. Some of the coaches have given conflicting messages that align with both discourses, which are revealed by both the girls’ and the boys’ voices in varying degrees. The findings also demonstrate that children’s reasons for playing sport are in harmony with the participation/inclusive-oriented discourse. This discourse represents a child’s perspective, promoting every child’s right to participate under the same conditions. However, the selection procedure in both discourses exhibits strong classification, since coaches are the ones who possess the power to select.     

Travel as a Life Priority?

This paper adopts a different approach to understand non- or infrequent travel. Most research is grounded in constraints theory, and assumes that once constraints are removed, people will travel. Yet, in spite of efforts by the industry to remove obstacles to participation, travel propensity rarely exceeds three-quarters of the population of developed economies. This paper tests the idea that tourism may simply not be a high enough priority for some people to engender travel, while for others it may be seen as being more important. The study evaluated where travel ranks within a set of 13 other activities. People who rated travel as being important or very important to them, consistently rated it as being a higher priority than most of the activities studied. Those who rated travel as being unimportant or of little importance placed it as a lower priority activity. The findings challenge the traditional constraints theory.     

Culture as a tourist resource — a theoretical consideration

This article considers the potential of opera as a tourist attraction. Existing work is reviewed and the case stated for deriving a model of opera tourism from a consideration of motivation. Data on those who attend opera and those who become tourists are examined, together with existing literature explaining why people attend opera and become tourists, in order to determine common characteristics. The two activities may theoretically be consumed in a combined product. A number of routes to opera tourism are proposed as a framework for further analysis of the phenomenon. These routes are derived from a consideration of the definition of ‘holiday’.     

Understanding tourists’ leisure expenditure at the destination: a social network analysis

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to identify spending patterns of tourists in relation to the leisure activities performed throughout their day-by-day stay at the destination. Using the methodology of social network analysis (SNA), a tourists–activities bipartite network was identified following a pattern known as core–periphery. The effect of this structure (including typology, number, and timing of performing the activities) on tourism expenditure is analysed using a multiple regression model, to which were added different sociodemographic variables and other variables related to travel. In order to better understand the portfolio of activities, four examples of networks are studied and visually represented. This study reveals that through SNA between tourists and activities, we can study the behaviour of tourists in a novel way.     

Coaches’ migration: a qualitative analysis of recruitment,motivations and experiences

This study examines sport coaches’ perceptions about their experiences abroad. Coaches are part of a diverse new set of mobilities occurring in the sport labour market. However, few authors explored the individual cases of coaches’ migration. Here, we examine coaches’ recruitment process, motivations to migrate and their experiences abroad. Participants were five migrant coaches chosen through purposive sampling to achieve a pool of deep and rich data regarding the research topic. Data was collected using semi-structured interview questionnaires. For the exploration and analysis of the qualitative data, we used MAXQDA 11 software package. The results showed that all coaches migrated through an informal mechanism of recruitment which relied on their networks. Their discourse suggested they fit three types of migration referred in the literature: ambitionist, cosmopolitan and pioneer. Their experiences abroad were mainly related to their professional career and adaptation. All coaches reported that their experience was positive and they recommend that other coaches migrate as well. These results are important for the understanding of sport migration not least because coaches are at the core of the migration process of various stakeholders.     

Acting the part: ‘living history’ as a serious leisure pursuit

This paper explores the increasingly popular research area of ‘living history’ – the presentation of an historical period by live actors who portray and ‘live out’ the conditions of a particular time and place, largely through public events and other forms of staged reconstruction. While the topic might be analysed from various approaches, the paper endeavours to focus upon ‘living history’ largely as a ‘serious leisure’ pursuit, enquiring as to who participates and why. The paper is founded upon a survey of one re‐enactment society in the UK which depicts the Civil War in the USA. As one of the largest of such societies, the American Civil War Society (ACWS) not only provides a fine example of ‘living history’, but one largely outside of its immediate historical and cultural context. The paper argues that re‐enacted events, certainly in the case of a male‐dominated ‘living history’ society, are not primarily an educational exercise. Rather, they are meaningful for the individuals involved, sustaining and enhancing their life‐style interests and a ‘serious’ hobby through camaraderie, collective involvement, and a subjective understanding of authenticity.     

The “Culture Broker” as Performer: Tuva and Kazakhs “Home Visits” in Kanas,China

The term and role of a “culture broker” is examined based on the definition provided by Smith and ethnographic research of 12 months of living among the Tuva and Kazakh residents in Kanas, Xinjiang, China. Here it is suggested that Kazakhs operate as a culture broker by impersonating Tuva in Home Visits. A series of symbiotic relationships are found where stakeholders condone such impersonation to achieve different ends – these stakeholders and goals being identified in the paper. Amendments are consequently proposed to Smith's original model.     

Sustainable culinary tourism and Cevicherías: a stakeholder and social practice approach

This study proposes a theoretical framework based on stakeholder and social practice theory in the context of sustainable culinary tourism development. This framework emanates from the examination of issues affecting such development, and ways to adapt, from the perspective of a key SCT stakeholder group, restaurant operators, in a developing gastronomic destination. In-depth, face-to-face interviews revealed socio-economic and environmental issues, namely, perceived impacts from larger fish/seafood exports, over-fishing, and weather patterns affecting the quantity and consistency of product supply, which resulted in increased prices. Ethical and proactive principles, and taking the leadership in limiting socio-economic and environmental issues were the main ways to adapt. Moreover, operators were incorporating alternative fish/seafood products, reinforcing ethical conduct, rejecting unacceptable business practices, and strictly adhering to closed seasons/bans. Participants’ ways to adapt are strongly related to the tenets of the two employed theories; these associations will be discussed, and future research streams suggested.     

‘Wii play as a family’: the rise in family-centred video gaming

The idea that video gaming is for the ‘whole family’, to be played in the communal space of the living room, has gained momentum since the release of Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation and Nintendo Wii. This article addresses the growing popularity in family-centred video gaming in the British context by examining the design, promotion, instatement and use of this new media technology in the home. Research on the domestication of media technology is drawn on to examine the social impulses and conditions under which family-centred video gaming is introduced in the home as a domestic leisure activity. In response to parental anxieties about children’s disengagement from family life through new media use, industry-led claims that video gaming can foster family harmony are appealing. Representations of family gaming in the Wii commercials are analysed in relation to the findings of recent independent surveys on emerging patterns of gaming between parents and children. Policy issues emerge about the potential social and educational benefits of family-centred gaming and assumptions about them made in surveys and government-commissioned reports. Important questions are raised about the family dynamics of video gaming and children’s potential to benefit from this family-centred media entertainment in diverse family contexts.     

Perceptions of service attributes in a religious theme site: an importance–satisfaction analysis

A growing number of commercial corporations have chosen to open visitor centers or company museums. This trend has not bypassed the religious not-for-profit sector. This study uses past literature, input from management, and importance–performance analysis (IPA) to investigate the visitor experience for a religious theme site in Orlando, Florida. A total of 176 visitor surveys collected in two phases were used to conduct the IPA for the 18 attributes identified. The data analysis revealed three attributes for management concentration, including spiritual activities, something for everyone, and inspirational experience. The remaining attributes were placed into areas of low priority, areas indicating a good job, and areas indicating possible overkill. The results of IPA considered along with the current challenges of management can provide useful insight into the decision-making of management. For the research stream related to the unique context of contrived themed religious visitor sites, this research provides additional support for the behavior of the traveler by identifying and measuring attributes of importance and the associated satisfaction with those attributes. By combining these results with future work, additional support for the testing of sound models of mixed visitor behavior applied to religious theme sites can be offered.     

Sustainable human resource management as a driver in tourism policy and planning: a serious sin of omission?

This paper focuses on the neglect of an employment or workforce focus in policy engagement and planning for sustainable tourism. Tourism is of interest here because there is an established role for government and the private sector in policy engagement and strategic planning with respect to product development, infrastructure, marketing and human resource capacity and the focus has increasingly emphasised sustainable goals within this process. The discussion addresses the central role of people and work within concepts of sustainability and sustainable communities and questions why this has been, substantially, ignored in tourism. The paper starts by recognising the interconnectedness of employment in tourism and its workforce concerns with a wide range of inter-linked policy and operational considerations. This, in turn, points to the utility of the sustainable HRM model as a means by which to frame tourism work. Thereafter, this paper introduces new approaches through the proposal of sustainability indicators that have both theoretical and practical policy formation value in relation to the workforce. These sustainable employment capacity, service delivery capacity and service quality capacity with which policy-makers can gauge their readiness for sustainable growth in tourism employment. The research and application implications for this approach are discussed.     

Is It Difficult to Market a City as a Convention Destination?

Abstract

Convention tourism is a very lucrative form of tourism and is becoming one of the fastest growing sectors in the tourism industry. Greece, a traditional tourist destination worldwide, has not developed its convention sector satisfactorily. This paper presents the outcome of a small scale qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews with six experts of organizing meetings and conventions, which were undertaken in order to explore the potential of Thessaloniki as a convention destination by assessing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The results revealed that Thessaloniki has a potential to develop this special form of tourism and ameliorate the low tourist inflow. However, it is a difficult task, mainly due to the lack of cooperation among the city's stakeholders.     

Climate Variability in the Origin Countries as a “Push” Factor on Tourist Arrivals in the Philippines

The objective of this paper is to test the impact of climate variability in origin countries as a “push factor” on tourist arrivals, specifically in the Philippines, and to select a suitable proxy to measure climate variability. This paper uses the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) constructed by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Climate variability is strongly linked to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and this link is used by meteorologists to forecast changes in weather globally. SOI is a widely used indicator of the ENSO and its best known extremes are the El Niño (warm phase) and La Niña (cold phase) effects. The study proves to some extent that there is a significant increase in US tourist arrivals in the Philippines when La Niña-like weather conditions prevail in the USA. More importantly, the SOI proved to be a good measure of climate variability.     

Organic farm volunteer tourism as social movement participation: a Polanyian political economy analysis of World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) in Hawai‘i

In recent years, Karl Polanyi's concept of the “double movement” has been resurrected to describe growing international resistance to neoliberal global capitalism. The double movement originally referred to counter-movements for social protection against the 19th and early 20th century laissez-faire market. Today, it describes the growth of new social movements which often resist neoliberal economic practices and ideologies. Drawing on Polanyi's concept of the double movement and on recent work on neoliberalism and new social movements, this article examines farm hosts' motivations for participation in World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). It argues that farm hosts tend to articulate their motivations as an attempt to proclaim solidarity with organic, spiritual, and educational new social movement agendas. It describes how a loosely articulated organic identity converges around three corollary protective counter-movements: organic food production and consumption, spirituality, and alternative education, exploring the creative ways people are resisting neoliberal capitalism at the intersection of alternative tourism and organic agriculture. Yet, despite hosts' intentions, the article illustrates how new social movement participation through WWOOF is in constant tension with the neoliberal agrarian and tourism marketplace in which it operates, as well as the perhaps unforeseen limits of its radical horizon.     

Film-Induced Tourism as a Vehicle For Destination Marketing: Is it Worth the Efforts?

This study examined the impact of a film on the featured destination's image and travel intentions through comparing the results of a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experiment. Then, the effect of destination attributes and overall image on travel intentions is examined simultaneously through path analysis. The results indicate that the role of the overall image as a mediating variable is not significant as respondents relied more on specific destination image attributes on their intention to visit. This was even more prominent after the viewing of the film. The overall image had the strongest direct effect on visit interest in future for both pretest and posttest.     

Tourism and Aldo Leopold's “cultural harvest”: creating virtuous tourists as agents of sustainability

Sustainable tourism aims to achieve a balance between the needs of tourists, the environment, local people, and businesses – a situation complicated by the numerous ethical issues at play. This paper presents an original account of the ethics of Aldo Leopold (1887–1948), a key figure in the development of modern environmental ethics, as it unfolds in his classic work, A Sand County Almanac. We argue that prior interpretations failed to incorporate Leopold's lynchpin cultural harvest idea into his larger “land ethic”, and that a proper understanding of the cultural harvest reveals how tourism and other recreational activities can drive a person's ethical development. Ultimately, the land ethic helps us protect and nurture the most precious sustainability resource: human beings that value and respect the environment. The paper will be of value to tourism scholars, to heritage interpreters, to travel journalists, to tourism marketing staff, and to tourism managers. It shows the enormous opportunities for better marketing and heritage interpretation, notes the potential value of slow tourism, and the need for opening five key areas of the cultural harvest for tourists: storytelling, learning and knowledge, beauty and aesthetic appreciation, rarity and the hunt for trophy, and signature/personality.