PAMANTASAN NG LUNGSOD NG MAYNILA
PLM Business School
Department of Hospitality Management ITM 1204 MICRO PERSPECTIVE OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
Module 7: RECREATION AND LEISURE
MODULE OBJECTIVES By the end of the module students will:
1. define recreation and leisure;
2. determine the varied views of recreation and leisure;
3. describe the motivations for recreational participation;
4. explain the factors which promote the growth of recreation;
5. discuss the major types of organized recreation;
6. explain the role of sports and tourism as major recreation service components;
7. differentiate theme parks, water parks, fun centers, and sports tourism;
8. analyze the need for professional leadership in the recreation field; and
9. discuss the challenges facing the recreation and leisure service field in the 21 st century.
I. Meaning of Recreation and Leisure The dictionary defines "recreation" as the process of giving new life to something, of restoring
something. "Leisure" is defined as the productive, creative, or contemplative use of free time.
Recreational Activities
Recreational activities include all kinds of sports, both team and individual, such baseball, softball,
football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, badminton, swimming, skiing, hiking, jogging, aerobics, and rock
climbing, which are active forms of recreation. Passive recreational activities include reading, fishing,
playing and listening to music, gardening, playing computer games, and watching television shows or
movies.
II. Varied Views of Recreation and Leisure For some, recreation means the network of public agencies that provide parks, playgrounds, swimming
pools, sports fields, and community centers in several cities, towns, counties, or park districts. They may
view these facilities as an outlet for the young people or a means of achieving family togetherness or
pursuing interesting hobbies, sports, or social activities.
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For others, recreation may be found in a senior center, a sheltered workshop for mentally challenged
individuals, or a treatment center for physical rehabilitation.
Environmentalists may be principally concerned about the impact of outdoor forms of recreation on our
natural surroundings such as forests, mountains, rivers, and lakes which are the national heritage of a
nation.
Recreation and leisure are all these things. They represent a rewarding form of human experience and
constitute an important aspect of economic development and government responsibility.
At present, the value of recreation and leisure is universally accepted. As a consequence, the
government in both developed and developing countries has accepted the responsibility of providing
and assisting leisure opportunities through extensive recreation and park systems.
Recreational Participation
The most common notion of recreation is that it is primarily a participation in sports and games.
Recreation actually includes an extremely broad range of leisure activities including travel and tourism,
cultural entertainment, participation in the arts, hobbies, membership in social clubs, or interest groups,
nature-related activities such as hunting and fishing, and attendance at parties, special events, and
fitness activities.
Recreation may be enjoyed with thousands of participants or spectators or may be a solitary
experience. It may be very strenuous or may be primarily a mental activity. It may act as a lifetime of
interest and involvement or may consist of a single, isolated experience.
III. Motivations for Recreational Participation Many participants take part in recreation as a form of relaxation and release from the pressures of work
and other tensions. Another recreational motivation is the need to express creativity, expose hidden
talents, or pursue excellence in various forms of personal expression.
For some participants, active recreation offers a channel for releasing hostility and aggression. It is also
a way of struggling against the environment in adventurous and high-risk pursuits. Others enjoy
recreation because it provides them the opportunity to make new friends or cooperate with others in
group activities.
Many individuals take part in recreational activities which involve community service, provide
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leadership in fraternal or religious organizations, and promote health and physical fitness. A growing
number of individuals enjoy participation in computer-based entertainment and communication
including CD-ROMs, interactive video games, and the Internet; others are deeply involved in various
forms of elite culture such as music, drama, dance, literature, and the fine arts. Additional important
motivations are exploring new environments through travel and tourism or seeking self-discovery or
personality enrichment through continuing education or religious activity.
IV. Factors Promoting the Growth of Recreation The following are the factors that help bring about the growth of recreation:
1. Increase in discretionary time — A key factor underlying the growth of recreation has been the
growth of free or discretionary time in the 20th century. Due to advanced mechanical equipment and
automated processes in factories, agriculture, and the service fields, productive capacity increased
remarkably during the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. In addition,
more holidays and longer vacations are now enjoyed by most employees. Because of improved social
security benefits and pension plans, as well as medical advances which lead to a longer life, many
employees can now avail of 15 or more years of full-time leisure after retirement. Another reason is
that labor-saving devices such as automatic washing machines, lawnmowers, microwave ovens, and
vacuum cleaners have greatly simplified the demands of life.
2. Influence of technology — Sophisticated technology has provided new forms of recreation for
people. Outdoor recreation uses complex and expensive devices in activities such as skydiving, hang
gliding, scuba diving, boating, roller blading, skiing, and snowboarding. Computer dating provides a new
form of social contact for single adults. Video games offer interactive competition or exposure to new
varieties of play settings and "virtual realities." The internet has become an important part of travel and
tourism by providing information and facilitating reservations and vacation choices. Home-based
recreation has become dependent on varied forms of electronic entertainment.
3. Public interest in health and fitness — A key trend in the 20th century is the growth of public interest
in exercise and physical fitness programs. Many people are now concerned about improving their
health, vitality, and appearance through diet and exercise. Those who exercise regularly look and feel
better. Research showed that the most successful fitness programs were those that provided
recreational interest and satisfaction.
4. Commodification of leisure — Various forms of recreation are being developed by profit-seeking
businesses. Giant corporations have taken control of music, television, movie businesses, sports
stadiums, cruise ships, theme parks, and other leisure operations. Many elaborate new facilities which
offer varied forms of recreation are being developed as part of the trend toward commodification. In
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big cities, huge public fitness centers which include pools, aerobics, dance rooms, and facilities for
family play are being built and often charge membership fees that cost several hundred dollars a year.
5. Therapeutic recreation service — An important aspect of the growth of recreation has been the
increased awareness of the recreation needs of persons with physical, mental, or social disabilities, 'n
recent years, there has been an increased recognition of the need to provide recreational programs for
special populations such as the mentally challenged, mentally ill, and physically challenged. These
programs use therapeutic recreation as a form of treatment. One of the sports programs for people
with disabilities that has received much attention in recent years is the Special Olympics, an
international program of physical fitness, sports training, and athletic competition for children and
adults with mental retardation.
6. New leisure roles for women — At present, there is a strong drive by women to play a more equal
role in recreational opportunities. In the past, women were barred from a variety of athletic, outdoor
recreation, cultural, and social involvements. Women were treated as second-class citizens in leisure
opportunities. With the emergence of a strong feminist movement, this inequality was corrected- There
is now a growing interest in women's tennis, golf, gymnastics, track and field, and similar events in
every level of competition. Outstanding women athletes have helped create a new image of feminine
strength, determination, and self-confidence.
IV. Types of Organized Recreation 1. Government recreation agencies —These are the federal, state, provincial agencies and local
departments that provide recreation and leisure services as a primary function. Also included are other
agencies that offer recreation programs as a secondary responsibility such as those concerned with
social service, education, special populations, and the armed forces.
2. Voluntary nonprofit organizations — These are nongovernmental, nonprofit agencies, both sectarian
and nonsectarian, which serve the public at large with multiservice programs that often include a
substantial element of recreational opportunity. The most popular voluntary organizations include the
Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, YWCA, and YM-YWHA.
3. Private membership organizations — They provide recreational and social activities for their own
members and, in some cases, assist community recreation needs. Examples are golf, tennis, yacht,
athletic, and country clubs. Also included under this category are the recreation sponsors connected to
residence such as swimming pools, sports or fitness complexes or clubs attached to leisure villages, and
apartments or condominium units or retirement communities.
4. Commercial recreation enterprises — These are privately owned businesses which operate to make
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a profit such as ski centers, bowling alleys, nightclubs, movie houses, theaters, health spas or fitness
centers, dancing schools, and theme parks.
5. Employee recreation programs — They serve those who work for companies or employers by
providing recreation as a part of a total personnel benefits package, linked to other services concerned
with employee health and fitness.
6. Armed forces recreation — Although it is obviously a form of government sponsored activity, it is
unique in its setting and purpose. Each of the major branches of the armed forces operates an extensive
network of recreation facilities and programs.
7. Campus recreation — It includes intramural athletics or sports clubs, social activities, travel
programs, performing arts groups, entertainment, lounges, film series, and other forms of recreation on
college and university campuses.
8. Therapeutic recreation services — These include any type of program designed to meet the needs of
persons with physical or mental disabilities, individuals with poor health, dependent aging persons,
social deviant persons in correctional facilities, and similar special groups.
VI. Two Recreation Service Components In addition to the eight types of organized recreation, sports and tourism represent major areas of
recreational programming and constitute powerful economic forces through their attraction for people
of every age and background. Uniquely, they have strong links to each other through the growing field
of sports tourism and also overlap heavily with outdoor recreation attractions.
A. Sports as Popular Recreation
Sports are major areas of recreational involvement. Of all the types of recreational involvement, sports
command the highest degree of personal interest and emotional involvement both for those who
participate actively in them and those who are part of a big number of fans of school, college, and
professional teams.
Sports are generally defined as physical activities demanding exertion and skill, involving competition,
carried on with both formal rules and general standards of etiquette and fair play. Sports activities, in
terms of both participation and spectator involvement, represent key recreation interests for most
youth and adults. Aside from amateur, school, and college sports, there are professional sports which
have become big businesses.
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B. Tourism — A Major Recreation Service Component
Tourism is a second major area of diversified recreational involvement. Several major elements in the
tourism enterprise which are closely linked to the growth of tourism as a form of recreation are the
theme parks, water parks, fun centers, and sports tourism.
VII. Theme Parks, Water Parks, Fun Centers, And Theme Parks
Sports Tourism
Theme parks usually concentrate on one dominant theme which may be historical, cultural, or
geographical. An example of a theme park with a single theme is the marine zoological Sea World Park.
Other parks focus on multiple themes like the Great America in California, a hundred-acre family
entertainment center divided into five themes: Hometown Square, Yukon Territory, Yankee Harbor,
County Fair, and Orleans Place. The most popular theme park is Disneyland in Anaheim, California which
was built by the late Walt Disney around the theme of Disney characters.
Theme parks create an atmosphere in which the visitor is likely to experience fantasy, glamour,
escapism, prestige, and excitement. Once inside the gate, the visitor is completely shut off from the
outside world and immersed in an enjoyable recreational experience.
Water Parks
A specialized type of theme park are the water parks. They feature wave pools, slides, chutes, shows,
and other forms of water-based play and entertainment. Water parks are usually part of larger theme
park operations. For example, Universal's Islands of Adventure, the Jurassic Park River Adventure, Bilge
Rat Barges, and Poseidon's Fury offer either whirling and steep white-water rides and sluice falls or
swirling vortexes that spray riders thoroughly. Each year, dozens of new water parks have been opened
with the latest technology.
Fun Centers
In heavily populated metropolitan areas, entrepreneurs have developed a variety of indoor fun centers,
ranging from children's play, gymnastics, to family party centers, video game arcades, and big
restaurants with game area.
New children's and family play centers have been established in many suburban neighborhoods and
shopping malls. They offer a combination of computer and video games billiards, miniature golf,
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entertainment by clowns and magicians, music, and popular fast-food refreshments. They also offer
packaged birthday parties and attractive family play activities.
Sports Tourism
The purpose of sports tourism is to participate directly in a form of sport or attend sports events as a
spectator. In the past, only the team traveled; the spectators remained behind to read about their
favorite game or to experience the game through radio and television. Today, both the team and the
spectators travel to the game especially where championship games are involved. Major college and
professional tournaments and championships attract huge audiences along with major boxing matches,
golf, and tennis events, and even sports like softball, soccer, rugby, volleyball, and roller skating. The
World Olympics is the biggest sports event. It attracts millions of spectators and generates millions of
dollars in revenue.
VIII. The Need for Professional Leadership At present, there is a growing need for qualified professional leadership in the recreation field. Very
often, people assume that the tasks of organizing and conducting recreation programs are relatively
simple and that anyone can do it without specialized training. However, the professional's assignment in
the organized recreation field tends to be more complex and difficult than that of the volunteer leader
or coach. It must involve carefully studied goals and objectives and sophisticated planning techniques.
Recreation professionals should possess the skills needed for direct leadership and supervision, group
dynamics, and client assessment. They must have the ability to carry out basic research and write
meaningful reports.
Emerging Professional Identity
As employment in recreation agencies grew over the past several decades, recreation gained public
recognition as a flourishing career field. Millions of men and women became employed in various
specialized sectors of recreation and leisure services. Many hold professional-level jobs as recreation
leaders, supervisors, planners, managers, and resource specialists. Through the efforts of national,
state, and provincial societies, higher standards for practice were developed and the first steps of
certification and accreditation were undertaken.
IX. Challenges Facing the Recreation and Leisure Recreational professionals must be able to deal creatively with the following challenges:
Service Field in the Twenty-First Century
1. Serve diverse society (race, age, gender);
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2. Emphasize key social purposes of recreation in working with at-risk youth, serving
persons with disabilities, and promoting community development;
3. Achieve fuller public understanding of the value of recreation and parks, and of the
leisure-service profession;
4. Upgrade recreation and park programs and facilities, particularly in inner cities and for
minority populations;
5. Adopt a benefits-based management approach; researching, proving and publicizing
positive outcomes of recreation;
6. Promote recreation's identity as health-related field;
7. Develop partnerships with environmental organizations to protect and restore wild
lands, waterways;
8. Employ marketing approach to achieve fiscal sufficiency and gain public respect and
support;
9. Expand and improve family-centered programs and facilities;
10. Promote higher values and ethical practices in youth sports competition;
11. Strive for fuller mainstreaming of persons with disabilities in community recreation
programs;
12. Plan for long-term role of recreation and leisure in potentially job-scarce economy;
13. Develop higher levels of professionalism through accreditation, certification, continuing
education, or program standards; and
14. Unify separate branches of recreation and leisure service fields (public, nonprofit,
commercial, therapeutic) in common programs and projects.
Chapter Activities 1. Conduct a study on how more frequent but shorter vacations affect recreation and leisure.
2. Evaluate the national forests as recreational resources.
3. Research on how the growth of government security programs and employment benefits affect
recreation and leisure.
REFERENCES Romeo D. Lim, Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, Mindshapers Company, Inc., 2019
Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, 3G E-Learning LLC, 2019
Zenaida Lansangan-Cruz, Micro Perspective of Tourism and Hospitality, REX Bookstore, 2019
