Tourism and Leisure Studies Research Network: a conference and journal founded in 2015, exploring the social, economic, cultural, and organizational aspects of tourism and leisure Third International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies
Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Tides Research Center, and EU Turismo de Lanzarote
Hotel Princesa Yaiza, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain
17–18 May 2018 Theme 1: Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Tourism Theme 2: Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Leisure Theme 3: Tourism and Leisure Industries Theme 4: Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies Leisure is a domain of relative freedom and pleasure positioned in contrast to the necessities and duties of paid or domestic work. All human societies have modulated work with leisure, moments of dutiful exertion with moments of recreational pleasure. Today, the nature and place of leisure activities are undergoing transformations influenced by changing social norms, economic realities, and mediating technologies. What is the nature of these socio-historical changes? How can the study of leisure, as a bounded domain of investigation and as grounded site for the exploration of more general social phenomena, provide a unique insight into the nature of these socio-historical changes?
Whereas leisure is a universal in all societies, tourism is a principally modern phenomenon. Tourism is the social practice of travel, primarily for the purposes of leisure. Although affluent minorities undertook limited tourism before modern times, mass tourism is a phenomenon that began in the mid-nineteenth century with the affordable railway ticket. Today, more than one billion tourists travel each year, and their spending represents a significant and growing sector in the world economy. This is also a time of dramatic change in modes and markets for tourism. This affects questions of economics, management, and employment in the burgeoning tourism and leisure industries. Critical social and ethical issues accompany this transformation, including questions of sustainability, cultural interaction, local impacts, and variable access to opportunities to tour.
