Events are a part of every culture and community (Allen, et al., 2002; Getz, 1997; Getz, 2007; Rogers, 2003). They may differ in their purpose (celebration, education, marketing), but at the core they are a gathering of people (Goldblatt & Nelson, 2001). Economically, the event industry is an important sector of the tourism industries; in the USA it is estimated at $652 billion USD in revenues and to have created more than 1.7 million jobs in 2005 (Rutherford Silvers, 2008). Inherent within this industry are risks of varying types (financial, physical, legal, etc) that are the responsibility of the event planner to assess and manage. There are numerous proposed risk assessment and management strategies (GWU Tourism, 2007; MacLaurin & Wykes, 2003; Rutherford Silvers, 2008; Ryerson, 2008; Tarlow, 2002a), which are based on models presented in the general risk literature (Althaus, 2005; Johnson, 1993; Law, 2006; Sjoberg, 2000b; Slovic, 2000; Slovic, et al., 2004). However, there are no empirical data to support these proposed models, nor any research that has studied event planner perceptions of potential sources of risk. This study is an exploration of the socio-demographic influences of event planners on risk perception and how these support the current risk assessment and risk management strategies. A model was developed that outlined the manner in which experience, education, gender and country of residence influenced the risk concepts of “dread” and “familiarity”. These concepts then lead to risk perception that, in turn, influenced risk assessment and risk management. In order to test this model, a mixed-methods, two-stage approach was used (Creswell, 2003; Veal, 2006). In-depth interviews were used to develop a definition of risk specific to the event industry, followed by an on-line survey to measure perceptions of various risk elements and gather socio-demographic information. There was evidence to support education, experience, gender and country of residence as influencing perceptions of “dread” and “familiarity” that, in turn, directly correlated with levels of risk perception. This exploratory research has opened the way for many new facets of research in the event industry. Future research is suggested in the areas of cultural influence on risk perception, risk perception related to various event types (festivals, sports, mega-events, etc), and risk management strategies utilized by event planners.

While the importance and scope of children’s sport participation has been a topic of research, to date, few researchers have explored the impact organized youth sport may have on family life. In particular, little attention has been paid to the way in which family relationships, interactions, and values are shaped by children’s sport involvement. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature and the social and cultural context in which youth sport participation occurs. Specifically, the connection between children’s participation in youth sport and contemporary motherhood and fatherhood ideologies is explored, including the relation between youth sport and being a “good parent”. Changing parenting ideologies and their implications for gender relations are also addressed. An interpretive approach was used to discover behavioural, relational, and emotional aspects of youth sport and family life. The setting for the study was a rural community (which included both farm and non-farm residences) since such communities are characterized by fewer services (e.g., leisure facilities, public transportation, health care) and higher rates of poverty and unemployment. Semi-structured interviews and on-line participant journals (10 days duration) were used to discover divergent experiences of mothers, fathers, and children. A purposive sample of seven families (19 children, 7 mothers, and 6 fathers) participated in the study. Data analysis was guided by a constructivist grounded theory approach to facilitate understanding of participants’ perceptions and meanings of youth sport participation. The data revealed three major themes. The first theme “Understanding Children’s Experiences” relates to children’s perceptions of their scheduled lives, the impact organized sport has on their relationships with their siblings, and how they perceive their parents’ involvement and support. The second theme “Parenting in Public and Private Spaces” reveals the parents’ perspectives on the high cost of youth sport for the family unit (emotional, physical, and financial cost), how the parents’ involvement with the sport organization shapes the parent-child relationship, the judgment of other parents’ behaviours, and meaning and significance of being a “good parent”. The third theme that developed from the analysis, “The Nexus of Family Experiences”, illustrates the intersection of the children’s and parents’ perspectives. This theme reveals the complexity of the decision-making processes and the positive and negative experiences of youth sport for different family members. The core theme, “Upholding Team Family”, represents the culmination of the children’s and parents’ experiences, and helps to capture and integrate the insights gained from the analysis as a whole. This theme focuses on the centrality of organized youth sport in the construction of a sense of “team family”, as well as the sacrifices and contradictory aspects of maintaining this ideal. Further, the gendered nature of organized youth sport involvement and how rurality shapes the families’ sport involvement, are also discussed. The themes that emerged from this study reflect the contradictory nature of organized youth sport, including the strengthening of familial relationships, as well as the tensions and disagreements arising out of divergent perspectives. Emphasis is put on the public nature of parenting in the youth sport context and its relationship to social constructions of being a “good parent”. In terms of broader implications, the study emphasizes the close connection between organized youth sport, and changing cultural ideals and practices associated with gender and parenting.

Community-based natural resource management has been introduced in Ghana as an instrument to assist nature conservation and natural resource management, as opposed to the fences and fines approach of the protectionist model. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of natural resource exploitation by the local communities in and around the Ankasa Resource Reserve after the introduction of the Amokwawsuazo Community Resource Management (ACREMA) programme. Particularly, the study sought to understand whether the implementation of ACREMA has helped to achieve nature conservation and natural resource management inside and outside the Reserve. The specific study objectives were as follows. First, the study seeks to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and economic activities of ACREMA community members. Second, the impact of ACREMA community members’ activities on natural resources of the Reserve was assessed. Third, the extent of natural resource exploitation after ACREMA was evaluated. Fourth, examine the measures undertaken to minimise natural resource exploitation in the Ankasa Resource Reserve after ACREMA was introduced. Fifth, the research assessed the ACREMA community members’ willingness to support nature conservation and other alternative livelihood programmes such as tourism. Finally, the research sought to provide guidelines and recommendations for policy makers, park management and other parties interested in the implementation of any development project in the Ankasa region. The study was justified because very little has been documented about the effectiveness of this approach in promoting nature conservation in Africa. Therefore, this study could contribute to understanding of the effectiveness of community-based resource management programmes in achieving nature conservation in Ghana. In order to achieve the objectives set, the study developed a conceptual framework based on social exchange theory. Social exchange theory conceptualises human behaviour as an exchange of goods and services, both tangible and intangible, and based on rewards for services rendered. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Hence, the main modes of data capture were survey, focus group interviews and in-depth interview. While quantitative data was analysed using SPSS version 14, qualitative data obtained were transcribed and analysed according to emerging themes. The results showed that natural resource exploitation declined following the introduction of ACREMA. This was as a result of the more effective collaboration and partnership developed between park management and local community members. Where exploitation existed, the study showed that this was primarily due to poverty and a lack of alternative resources. Secondly, the research demonstrated that ACREMA community members were willing to support nature conservation and as a result have undertaken several measures to minimise natural resource exploitation within the Ankasa region. The high level of enthusiasm to support nature conservation and tourism development was largely attributed to benefits already received for undertaken conservation measures as well as benefits perceived to result from the development of tourism in the future. Due to lack of alternative livelihoods, household heads also expressed interest in providing tourism-related services such as accommodation, catering services, working as drivers and tour guides if and when tourism becomes available in the region. This case study confirms that community-based natural resource management has been successful in achieving nature conservation and natural resource management in the Ankasa Resource Reserve and area. The study also provided several policy implications and pointed out areas for further study.

Recreational shopping has long been of interest to business academics and practitioners, but research on it has been underdeveloped in the leisure field. Although the leisure literature and business literature represent distinct perspectives, there appears to be many significant parallels between recreational shopping and leisure. The purpose of this study was to examine the intrinsic meanings of shopping; to explore the experiential aspects of the recreational shopping experience (including the influences of the retail environment on individuals who regularly engage in recreational shopping). This study took place in Toronto, Ontario. The sample included five female self-proclaimed recreational shoppers. The researcher accompanied each participant on a shopping excursion which took place at a shopping mall selected by the participant. Data were collected through three qualitative methods. First, participant observation involved the researcher walking alongside the participant as she shopped. Following the shopping session, the researcher conducted an in-depth face-to-face interview with each participant; the interview was guided by a set of open-ended questions. In addition, this study utilized photo-elicitation in which the participants were asked to photograph ‘anything’ that made an impression during their visit to the mall. The photographs offered tangible illustrations of shopping experiences and were used as a catalyst for discussion during the interviews. The data was analyzed using Grounded Theory coding which lead to the identification of two main themes and six respective subthemes. The emergent themes are all connected to the key idea that shoppers are motivated by their expectations and desires when they partake in the recreational shopping activity. Shopping offers numerous opportunities that provide immediate hedonic pleasure as well as intrinsic rewards. Such opportunities often include, the ‘before and after’ phases of experiences of acquisition and unexpected discoveries, the positive interactions which occur both inside and outside a retail environment, and lastly, the individual’s use of shopping as a means of self-expression and a tool to manage their self image. Satisfaction, spontaneity, familiarity, mastery, accomplishment, and feelings of escape were all present in these shopping experiences. The findings also described the role of shopping malls as a leisure space and as facilitators of recreational shopping activities. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that shopping can offer a profound leisure experience for many people and the activity should not only be researched in terms of just ‘recreational shopping’ or ‘utilitarian shopping.’ Rather, the findings indicate several overlaps between the two types of shopping and further research is needed to more fully understand the complexities of the activity.

Leisure time, leisure activities, and leisure spaces largely surround matters of consumption. However, the role consumption plays in the reproduction and performance of community is a necessarily contested topic among leisure scholars. For their part, leisure scholars have tended to regard consumption and places of consumption with a great deal of trepidation, skepticism, and even contempt (e.g., Arai & Pedlar, 2003; Hemingway, 1996; Reid, 1995; Stormann, 2000). Implications for and about community appear to be at the forefront of anxiety about consumption as it relates to leisure. As a result, a focus on “community” has become a practical response to assumptions about pervasive individualism, consumption, and the loss of community, in general. Following calls for the incorporation of community in leisure studies (Arai & Pedlar, 2003; Glover & Stewart, 2006) and drawing on Cook’s (2006a) call to move leisure studies “beyond individualism” (p. 464), this study sought to empirically examine the significance local residents attribute to everyday places of consumption. Furthermore, this study aimed to challenge the idea that leisure time, activities, places, and spaces based on consumption serve only to further alienate individuals from communities, thus weakening the social relevance of leisure, in general (Arai & Pedlar, 2003). The purpose of this research, therefore, was to challenge the essentialist conceptualization of consumption by exploring the relationship between places of consumption and the everyday lived experience of community. To do so, I engaged patrons at the Kitchener Market, a venue that encourages consumptive acts, yet serves as a focal point for everyday engagement in community. The primary research question providing focus for this study was: What roles, if any, do places of consumption, particularly third places, play in the everyday lived experience of community? Results of this research suggest there are new ways for understanding leisure and community as they relate to consumption. Rather than considering consumption places as points of exchange with little or no emotional sentiment attached, this research suggests these places have to potential to develop and create community as well as incorporate consumer values, ideals, ethics, and sentiments. Third places, as everyday places of consumption, should be examined for their potential to create, enact, and build community. Consumption is not separate from society, community and leisure; rather, consumption constitutes a salient aspect of everyday living and should be considered an important component of community.

Over the past decade, Persian Gulf countries witnessed an increase in tourism development and the number of international tourists. Though tourism development plays an important role in enhancing economies, tourism development may conflict with the region's conservative traditions and culture. The purpose of this research is to identify the attitudes and perceptions of residents in the State of Qatar towards the impacts of tourism development by: 1) applying Ap & Crompton's (1998) Index of Tourism Impacts (ITI): measuring the physical/ecological/social or cultural environments, and the residents' acceptance of visitors, 2) by identifying resident attitudes as expressed on Qatari-based social networks, and 3) through personal observation of resident attitudes. Respondents were selected using a convenience sampling technique to complete a survey instrument. Non-intrusive personal observation was also carried out to observe the nature of host-guest interactions at local tourist areas. Material regarding resident attitudes towards tourism development published through local media and forums on local social networks were collected. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and independent t-tests were used to describe data and to better understand resident attitudes towards the ITI dimensions. Content analysis was used to analyze forum entries, and field note extracts of personal observations were also used to present observed behaviours of residents. Survey findings reveal that resident attitudes differed according to respondents' age, length of residence, and ethnicity, particularly with respect to perceptions of change in local services and natural environment. The content analysis of forums revealed mixed feelings by residents (primary expatriates) towards tourism development. An attitude typology was derived from resident attitudes expressed through forum entries. Attitudes ranged from “denying tourism's existence” to “encouraging tourism”. Field observation of behaviours also revealed mixed attitudes towards the presence and behaviours of tourists, where residents either “accepted tourism” or “disapproved tourism”. Results suggested further research be carried out in testing the attitude typology in countries within the same region, and to modify the belief scale items and dimensions.

While it is well understood that many resource-based communities are transitioning to tourism to provide a new economic foundation, few studies have probed in-depth the rationale and mechanisms influencing decision-making processes. This case study does that, providing the rationale behind Nanaimo’s City Council’s decision to build a conference centre and in so doing exposes the processes, actors and events that helped framed its decision. A coastal community in British Columbia, Canada, Nanaimo’s downtown suffered continual decline for nearly two decades. In an attempt to reverse the decline, City Council voted 8 to 1 in favour of a conference centre proposal based on its conviction that a centre would serve as a calling card for the community and function to attract both lifestyle residents and tourists. Moreover, Council’s vote signalled its commitment as an active partner in re-establishing the downtown and repositioning Nanaimo as a post-industrial city with high-level infrastructure and amenities. Although there was initial widespread community support, as the conference centre evolved through a series of iterations, one community group surfaced to challenge its merit and the lack of public engagement in the process. In response, another group surfaced to defend the decision. Through a community referendum, the decision was upheld and the community moved forward with the plan. Nonetheless, the viability of the project was threatened a second time with the civic election as several community residents who resisted the project ran for City Council on a platform that would have halted the project. The community, once again, affirmed the decision to proceed. This case has two steps. First, I present a descriptive analysis to illuminate how the community’s social networks played a role in moving a specific agenda forward. There were two phases of data collection from which data were compiled and analysed. The first phase of data collection examined a variety of written documents in the community and principally included minutes of the various City Committees, independent studies commissioned by the City, newspaper accounts, and sources of information provided by the participants. The information collected in this first phase of study helped to inform the 37 in-depth interviews collected in the second phase of the study. Critical discourse analysis was used to demonstrate how and why different groups in the community justified and rationalized an ideological stance supporting a political and economic framework underwritten by tourism. Overall, the strength of the case is in its details. In demonstrating how the social networks and the local coalitions’ capacity-building efforts shaped civic decision-making and public policy, one gains, in a Foucauldian sense, how governmentality played out as different groups engaged in resistant and counter-resistance mechanisms. Tracing these movements reveals how this community was conditioned towards an economic framework underwritten by a political economy of tourism. Moreover, this case demonstrates that although consideration should be given to the broader economic and political climate, it supports claims in the literature that a high degree of autonomy exists within community decision-making processes. Complementing this consideration is the need to theorize more carefully the role of democracy and governance in determining the satisfaction of outcomes. Finally, more consideration should be given by tourism scholars to be more reflexive about their research, its contested and emotive moments.

Sexual minorities experience more stress than the general population, which contributes to negative mental and physical health outcomes. This minority stress is a result living and working in social environments that do not accept homosexuality. In an attempt to avoid stressful situations, some sexual minorities try to conceal their sexual identity to various degrees in their everyday lives; however, this behaviour causes additional distress and becomes an even greater barrier to one’s well-being. One way to manage this stress is to participate in recreational activities in the company of other sexual minorities. In this way, leisure travel can be used as a coping mechanism for minority stress. The findings of this study bridge a gap between research on travel motivation, concealable stigma and stress coping. The aim of this study is not simply to list the travel motivations (such as escape, relaxation and socializing), but rather to uncover the meanings behind these motivations.

The present study employed Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to understand the motivational factors associated with peoples’ intention to: (a) increase their physical activity levels in response to Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games; (b) watch the event on television; and (c) purchase products or services from companies because they were sponsors of the event. According to the theory, behavioural intentions are determined by individuals’ attitude toward performing the behaviour (i.e., their overall evaluation of the behaviour); the subjective norms they associate with the behaviour (i.e., their beliefs about whether most people approve or disapprove of the behaviour); and perceived behavioural control (i.e., the perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior). As well, this investigation hypothesized that additional variables could predict intention. In particular, past behaviour and descriptive norms (i.e., people’s perceptions about the degree to which other people would perform the behavior) were examined in terms of their ability to explain significant proportions of variance in respondents’ intentions above and beyond TPB variables. Participants were enrolled in first and second year undergraduate classes at the University of Waterloo and the University of Victoria during the Fall 2009 and Winter 2010 term (n = 405). The questionnaire assessed each TPB construct (excluding actual behaviour) using standardized Likert-type scaling procedures suggested by Ajzen (2006). Additionally, the questionnaire assessed gender, geographic proximity to the event (i.e., whether students were enrolled at the University of Waterloo or the University of Victoria), past behaviour, and descriptive norms. Results from the regression analyses revealed that the TPB-based models accounted for 50.7%, 61.5% and 66.6% of the variance in respondents’ intentions to become more active in response to the event, watch the event on television, and purchase products or services from event sponsors respectively. Attitude toward the behaviour was the only TPB construct to play a prominent role in the prediction of all three responses of interest in the present investigation. The importance of the attitude construct in predicting such a diverse set of intentions suggests that sport consumer behaviour might be best understood in terms of expectancy-value cognitive theories such as the TPB. These theories suggest that people will be motivated to perform a particular behaviour (e.g., watching a sport event on television) when they expect to attain a valued outcome as a result of performing the behaviour (e.g., feelings of national pride). Descriptive norms and past behaviour explained an additional 29%, 9.3%, and 21% of the variance in respondents’ intention to become more active in response to the event, watch the event on television, and patronize event sponsors respectively. Among this sample of undergraduate students, responses to the event appeared to be strongly associated with beliefs about whether or not referent others would perform each behaviour. Additionally, much of what motivates sport consumer behaviour within this segment of the population may be related to notions of tradition and nostalgia. Implications for future research and the design of behaviour change interventions are discussed.

Community identity is a concept involving a web of relationships whereby a committed group of people emotionally identify with a shared set of values, norms, meanings and history. When municipalities co-operate, concerns among stakeholders can arise that potentially lead to a sense that interdependence among municipal partners can threaten a community’s independence and correspondingly community identity. The main goal of this study was to understand how the development of an inter-municipal partnership associated with the provision of a centralized multi-use recreation facility affected community identity among partnering communities. This goal was accomplished by exploring the case of Pictou County. Municipal leaders, members of the public, and local persons of influence were interviewed to gather their impression of the implications of an inter-municipal partnership for community identity. An interpretivist viewpoint guided this case study. One-on-one interviews were transcribed, analyzed, and broken down into different themes to capture the impact this case had on community identity. Findings were organized into three sections: (1) concerns about the partnership, (2) anticipated benefits, and (3) the overall implications for community identity. The findings of this case study revealed a shift in identity within the region in which the partnership took place. Although residents in each neighbouring municipality had a strong sense of community identity, the case illustrated a general shift toward a regional identity that was beginning to emerge. Study participants understood why some members of their communities were threatened by the inter-municipal partnership under investigation, but explained how the partnership created benefits that outweighed the negative impacts of co-operation. In particular, stakeholders believed the economic benefits of the partnership overshadowed any concerns about transparency or public input. This has allowed a shift in the tradition ways recreation services have traditional been offered in the county. Now instead of each municipality working as independent services providers they are now starting to work more interdependently to provide services for the municipalities. This case helps add to the body of literature involving inter-municipal partnerships and provide the opportunity for future research to be conducted on topics such as geographic identity and interscetionality. As well, the case provides insight to future practitioners when they are conducting research to understand that citizen participation is important in a project like this but it may be less significant than if the primary interest, such as economic interests, of the community members if initially managed. Addressing these interests should help lessen the chance of resistance forming later in the project.