Leisure Studies Commons^™

Lesson Learned: Developing A Replica Of The Kaaba In Central Lombok As An Educational Religious Tourism Destination - A Public Sector Role Approach, M. Setyo Nugroho, Muhammad Muhajir Aminy

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This study examines the role of village administration in developing the Kaaba replica as a religious education site in Central Lombok. It introduces a unique tourism product that provides travellers with an experience reminiscent of the Hajj in Mecca. The research employs a qualitative approach with exploratory analysis, and data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. Observations focused on the replica’s condition, supporting attractions, facilities, infrastructure, tour packages, and tourist activities. Interviews were conducted with village officials, replica management, and community members. Documentation included photographs, audio, video, records, scientific publications, and books related to the replica. The findings indicate …

Podcast Assessment, Theresa Ryan, Bernadette Quinn

Case studies: Digital Education

The MSc Event Management is a conversion MSc programme and so students may have very little knowledge or experience of the event sector when they first join the programme. For this, and for several other reasons, experiential learning is prioritised in this module. When we experienced the Covid 19 pandemic, activities like site visits, fieldtrips and guest lectures were severely curtailed or eliminated and we needed to find alternative ways of encouraging student-practitioner interactions. We thus changed our assessment practice to include a requirement for students to individually secure an interview with a practitioner on a particular topic, and to …

Safety First: Unpacking Key Roles Of Arctic Adventure Guides, Barbara Olga Hild, Betty Weiler Professor

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Building on past research on tour guides and guiding, this paper provides an in-depth examination of the safety management role of tour guides leading adventure trips. A review of previous literature identifies broad dimensions of tour guiding and, within these dimensions, specific guiding roles mainly in relation to communication. The current study’s qualitative examination of experienced Arctic guides, however, illustrates how environmental conditions contribute to near misses and points to safety management as an adventure guide’s fundamental role. The findings highlight the need for guide competence and certification and underpin recommendations for research in relation to guide education and practices …

Hospitality Services And The Promotion Of Religious Tourism: A Study Of Redemption City, Nigeria, Elizabeth Abiola-Oke, Timileyin Osiobe

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Religious tourism is acknowledged as a fast-growing sector within the tourism business, and hospitality services’ role in supporting this growth is important. This study used a quantitative research design to explore the specific function that hospitality services have in promoting religious tourism. Literature study and the distribution of structured research questionnaires to Redemption Resort visitors during monthly programs were the methods adopted for the collection of data. The results show that hospitality services promote religious tourism by providing a safe and comfortable stay, planning religious activities and ceremonies, and providing regional and traditional foods. The study also discusses issues like …

Sentiment Analysis In Relation To Jordan’S Churches - For The Promotion Of Christian Pilgrimage And Religious Tourism In Jordan, Malek Bader

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Jordan has many famous tourist destinations of Christian importance, but it is unable to attract many Christian pilgrimage tourists. With churches being the epicenter for Christian pilgrimage tourists, an effort was made to understand the sentiments of the people towards the churches of Jordan. A VADER sentiment analysis was performed on 1,758 tweets after biased data removal and data pre-processing of Twitter data for one year. The results showed that 56% of people had positive sentiments, 27% had neutral sentiments, and only 17% had negative sentiments towards the churches of Jordan. The most frequently appearing words in the total word …

Harnessing Ireland’S Food Heritage – The Role Of The Artisan Food Producer In Ireland’S Food Tourism Offering, Margaret Connolly, Rebecca O'Flynn

European Journal of Food Drink and Society

This research paper examines the role of the artisan food producer, not just as an entrepreneur and service provider but with a focus on how they contribute to the preservation of Ireland’s food culture and heritage. Using a qualitative methodology and in keeping with a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of ten artisan food producers from different parts of Ireland. A thematic analysis of the responses was carried out, with a desire to let the voice of the artisans themselves tell their story. The research shows that through the conservation and use of traditional ingredients, …

Is Madeira Airport The Beginning Of A Tourism Experience On The Island?, Helena Viríssimo, Jorge Abrantes

International Journal of Islands Research

Air transport is the main mode of transport used when traveling to the Autonomous Region of Madeira (ARM), Portugal. The airport and the entire airport infrastructure are essential for tourists to access the island. It is therefore important to assess their importance in the tourism development of the region and, to what extent, being the first and last experience with the destination, they impact the image and perception of passengers about the destination and their future desire to return. The present investigation, being exploratory, intends to evaluate the relationship between passenger satisfaction with airport services and its role in the …

Review: Events Special Interest Group Track At The Atlas Annual Conference 2022, Enya Moore Dr.

Articles

The 2022 Association for Tourism and Leisure Education and Research (ATLAS) Annual Conference took place on the Munster Technological University campus in Cork, Ireland, 6^th – 9^th September 2022. The theme of the conference ‘What matters now to the global tourist?’ raised pertinent questions about the challenges facing the tourism and leisure industries and education since the onset of the global pandemic. This review focuses on a series of papers from the Events Special Interest Group which covered themes such as solidarity, community, festivals, placemaking and digitisation.

The research activities conducted for this publication were funded by the …

Roles Of Religious Guides In Tourism: A Qualitative Study From Japan, Ricardo Nicolas Progano

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage travel has become an important element in contemporary tourism, as visitors flock to sacred locations (UNWTO, 2015). However, some aspects of pilgrimage travel remain relatively understudied, with one of them being the roles of guides in these locations. Based on previous academic works, the present study aims to bridge this gap by analysing the role of religious figures who engage in guiding activities aimed at the general public. For this, Shippōryū-ji, a Shugendō temple located in Japan, is presented as the case study. As previous research on the subject is scarce, a qualitative approach was deemed suitable. Utilising interview …

The Eudemonic And Hedonic Impacts Of Attending Live And Virtual Music And Art Events, Philippa Kirwan, Samantha Morris

Articles

This paper examines the under-investigated well-being impacts of arts and music events attendance, in both a live and virtual capacity. Using eudaimonia and hedonia as a measure for well-being, three objectives were investigated; 1) Do live arts and music events meet attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? 2) Do virtual arts and music events meet attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? 3) How do live and virtual music and art events compare in meeting attendees eudemonic and hedonic needs? The study focused on attendee’s experiences having attended both live and virtual events. Using nine semi-structured interviews this research found that live music …

Acceptance Of New Travel Norms Among Potential Umrah And Hajj Pilgrims: An Empirical Investigation, Siti Sara Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz Hanafiah, Muhammad Azlan Shah Badar

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper investigates how Umrah and Hajj travellers’ needs and wants are influenced by their acceptance (behaviour) of new norms practices (social distancing, hygiene standards, wearing face masks) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional survey utilises the purposive sampling method with 216 respondents. Partial-least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLSSEM) was used to confirm the study model and test the hypotheses. Additionally, this study validates the role of age in influencing the new norms of travel behaviour through the PLS-SEM multi-group analysis (MGA). Path Analysis results revealed that psychological needs, safety needs and selfactualisation influence the new norms of …

Exhibition Interpretation And The Visitor Experience, Theresa Ryan

Case Studies

This case study explores the techniques used to interpret a commemorative exhibition staged in Dublin city library between the 14th of August and the 31^st of October, 2019. The case discusses the way in which multiple media were employed to communicate the exhibition narrative to visitors, and how this resulted in very emotive, personal and meaningful visitor experiences. Through the use of a range of audio-visuals, original images, text, memorabilia and guided tours, the exhibition provided a multi-sensory experience, that engaged different cohorts of visitors with the collections, information and ideas on display. They provided a powerful means of …

The Arts And Changing Rural Places, Bernadette Quinn Dr

Blog Posts

This blog post reflects on how recent changes to rural Ireland is influencing the arts. It recognises that rural places are very vibrant and dynamic, and that this offers many opportunities and challenges from an arts perspective. The blog also reflects on a panel discussion that the FADE project team hosted on ‘The arts and changing rural places’ at the Arts Council & Local Government’s biennial Places Matter conference in March 2022.

The research activities conducted for this publication were funded by the Irish Research Council.

Active Leisure And Ageing In Rural Ireland: Exploring Perceptions And Motivations To Facilitate And Promote Meaningful Physical Activity, Angie Hartnett, Catherine Gorman

Articles

The life expectancy of the world population is increasing and the art of aging well is of global interest (European Commission, n.d.). In Ireland, the number of people over the age of 60 will increase from 1.1 million currently, to 2.44 million by 2041, constituting nearly one third of its total population (Institute of Public Health, 2018). Despite the benefits of regular physical activity (pa), particularly with the frail (≥65 years and requiring a walking aid), rates of participation remain low (Colley et al., 2011). Health concerns raised, such as smoking and weight issues, are more prevalent in this cohort …

Socio-Cultural And Economic Impacts Of Religious Festivals On Sustainable Local Community Livelihoods In Kerala: The Case Of Palakkad, Dr. Bindu V T Nair, Aiswarya Babu N

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

Festivals depict the heritage, culture, and traditions of a particular region. They create a state of exhilaration and enthusiasm. Kerala is a state in southwest India with its own distinct culture and traditions. The state is also known for its religious pluralism. This study attempts to understand the perceived impact of religious festivals on the local community livelihoods in Palakkad, a district in central Kerala. Twelve temples in which religious festivals are held annually, with attendance in the range of thousands, were selected. The selected temples are famous for hosting specific religious festivals which attract a large number of visitors, …

Event Tourism, Public Policy And Socio-Cultural Development In Dublin, Bernadette Quinn, Ana Maria Fernandes Dr, Theresa Ryan Dr

Articles

In a highly globalised, competitive world, urban strategies often highlight festivals and events as activities which can attract tourists and investors, extend the tourism season and boost the economy. Event tourism as a term is now well established in the tourism lexicon, however, it is usually employed in quite a limited way that offers only partial insights into a complex phenomenon. To redress this deficit, this paper examines the case of Dublin, where for the last twenty-five years, policy-makers have been using festivals and events to boost the city’s international standing. The aim is to investigate whether policy-makers can strategically …

Reflections On Co-Creating, Developing And Evaluating Virtual Reality Fieldtrips (Vrf): The Student’S Perspective, Catherine Gorman, Jennifer Stewart, Louise Bellew

Conference papers

To ensure graduates have the skill to work within the tourism industry, and spurred on by the paradigm shift in teaching due to Covid 19, this research focused on developing innovative solutions using technology. Using virtual assessment techniques, industry co-created evaluation, and integrated assessment, it explored how virtual field-trips can be developed as part of remote teaching methods. To provide context to the topic of sustainable tourism and technology, a student-led virtual seminar with industry was undertaken linking with TU Dublin Green Week 2021. In place of a fieldtrip using Google Earth and Screen-casto-matic, students created videos incorporating the sustainability …

Applying Interpretation Principles To A Non-Western (Japanese) Training Context, Naoko Yamada, Jeffrey Skibins, Betty Weiler

International Journal of Tour Guiding and Visitor Attraction Research

Interpretive guides play an indispensable role in achieving tourism and sustainability outcomes. Although interpretation theory and best practice principles are supported by literature, they have been primarily developed in Western countries. Little work has been done to evaluate the cross-cultural applicability of using Western-based interpretation in training non-Western interpretive guides. This study evaluates the use of Western-based interpretive competencies in a Japanese training context. The efficacy of the training was assessed using quantitative and qualitative pre- and post-training data from all 42 trainees. Training programs were successful in improving trainees’ perceptions of the importance of links between individual roles and …

Festivals, Public Space And Cultural Inclusion : Public Policy Insights, Bernadette Quinn, Alba Colombo, Kristina Lindström, David Mcgillivray, Andrew Smith

Articles

This paper investigates if and how cities conceive of festivals staged in outdoor public space as a means of achieving cultural inclusion policy objectives. The inclusion of culture in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) creates an imperative for cities to scrutinize their approaches to making their cities inclusive. Festivals offer potential in this regard and this study examines the ways that Barcelona, Dublin, Glasgow, Gothenburg and London incorporate festivals into cultural inclusion policies. It relies on secondary research to critically analyse a range of current policy documents, informed by Ball’s ideas about policy contexts: (a) of influence, (b) of …

Factors Influencing Consumer Wine Choice: The Case Of Wine Tourism, Margaret Connolly

Books/Book Chapters

This research was undertaken to examine the relationship between the wine tourism activities of consumers and their subsequent wine choices. Exploratory research was undertaken giving specific attention to wine tourism, first, as a factor of influence on decision-making, second, on levels of consumer involvement and third on long-term consumer loyalty. A convenience sample of 12 wine consumers in Dublin participated in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to gather the qualitative data used. The findings clearly establish links made by consumers between their wine tourism experiences and their subsequent wine purchase preferences. The findings highlight the importance of facilitating …

Festival Heterotopias: Spatial And Temporal Transformations In Two Small-Scale Settlements, Bernadette Quinn, Linda Wilks

Articles

This paper reports the findings of research undertaken at two festivals which take place in small-scale settlements: one in a village set in rural western Ireland, the other in a small coastal town set within a largely rural Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in southern England. It uses Foucault’s concept of heterotopia as an analytical tool to further understandings of how the spatial and temporal interruptions caused by festivals temporarily transform the prevailing social order. The findings attest to the manner in which festivals juxtapose several incompatible spaces, creating a diverse array of social alterations in consequence, and highlight the …

Linking Social Capital, Cultural Capital And Heterotopia At The Folk Festival, Linda Wilks, Bernadette Quinn

Articles

This paper investigates the role of folk festivals in transforming interconnections between people, space and culture. It interlinks three sets of theoretical ideas: social capital, cultural capital and heterotopia to suggest a new conceptual framework that will help to frame a deeper understanding of the nature of celebration. Qualitative data were collected at two long-established folk festivals, Sidmouth Folk Festival in southern England and the Feakle Traditional Music Festival in western Ireland, in order to investigate these potential links. Although Foucault did not fully develop the concept of heterotopia, his explanation that heterotopias are counter-sites, which, unlike utopias, are located …

A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of Weekend–Trips In Religious Tourism: Insights From Two Cultures, Two Countries (India And Italy), Kiran A. Shinde, Katia Rizello

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

This paper explains peculiarities, significance, and universality of weekend-trips as significant form of religious tourism using a comparative analysis of this phenomenon in two pilgrimage sites from two different cultures (and countries), namely, Vrindavan in India and the Shrine of Santimissi Medici in Italy. The findings derived from a case-study approach and visitors’ survey method confirm that religious tourism falls under the more general category of leisure and that visitors who flock to these places on weekends do not coincide either with general models proposed in the extant literature, nor can they be assimilated to the conventional categories of pilgrims …

Situating Men Within Local Terrain: A Sociological Perspective On Consumption Practices, Deirdre Duffy

Conference papers

The aim of this paper is to explore how young men, operating within influential discursive regimes, construct their identity projects and come to know themselves, through their engagement with consumption and leisure practices. Foucauldian theory is drawn upon to conceptualise men as intertwined within their social environs, the recipients of socio-cultural inscription. By situating the micro-social context of the male consumer in a larger socio-cultural context, this study endeavours to go beyond consumer narratives to incorporate the influence of market and social systems on individuals’ identity work. The two discursive practices explored include: hometown community and Gaelic sport. Findings show …

Commercial Mythmaking And The Gaelic Athletic Association: Exploring Irish Men’S Identity Work Within Influential Social Networks, Deirdre Duffy

Conference papers

This paper explores young men’s engagement with Irish sporting and cultural organisation, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), to show how the interrelations and influences of one’s social network or human interdependencies all serve as potential cues on which individuals learn to construct their identity projects. This research engages Foucauldian theory to consider the effects of power emanating from multiple sources (to include the influence of peers, family, community, mass media and social institutions) on the individual. By looking at the intricacies of mundane everyday practices, such as the participation in sport, allows a better understanding of how individuals actually come …

Exploring Customer Contexts: How A Communitarian Business Model Enables Meaningful Customer Relationships, Deirdre Duffy

Conference papers

Broadly this study explores the individual’s constructions of identity as situated within historically and locally particular cultural practices. Following this approach facilitates a better understanding of how consumers negotiate the world around them. In turn this provides marketers with valuable insights that better equip them to engage with their customers. The subject matter is the male consumer engaging in bodywork practices to construct a desired body type. The subjects are situated within two discursive regimes: practices of self-presentation and national sport. Moreover, looking across these contexts reveals situational differences that contribute further to managerial decision-making, helping build stronger customer relationships.

Lone Parents, Leisure Mobilities And The Everyday, Bernadette Quinn

Books / Book chapters

This chapter highlights the importance of the ordinary as a site for enquiring into how people make sense of their worlds. The primary intention is to highlight the spatiality of everyday leisure practices and to unravel some of the connections that link these to the occasional leisure practice of holidaying. Empirically, the study focuses on a group of female lone parents of dependent children living on low incomes in Dublin. In Ireland as elsewhere, lone parent families constitute a sizeable, growing but marginal societal group. For the women studied, leisure constituted informal, unstructured and modest activities that were stitched into …

Sport, Media And The Gaelic Athletic Association: The Quest For The “Youth” Of Ireland, John Connolly, Paddy Dolan

Articles

Social developments and related dynamic relationships connected with the sports– media complex is a recurrent focus of sociological investigation. However, in explaining developments in the relationship between sports associations and media organizations the specific structure of power relations between them and other related organizations is often given primacy. We argue that this negates how changes in people’s social habitus – how people think feel and act – are interconnected with and critical to such explanations. Consequently, in this article we apply the theoretical frame of figurational sociology to demonstrate how the gradual development and expansion of specialist communications and media …

Civilizing Processes, Paddy Dolan

Books/Book chapters

The theory of “civilizing processes” was developed by Norbert Elias in the 1930s to describe and explain the generation of higher standards of various forms of conduct in the context of unplanned but structured changes in state formation and lengthening chains of social interdependencies (Elias 2000). The idea of civilized conduct may seem a strange companion to popular understandings of consumer culture, when the latter phrase is often associated with hedonism, individualism and excess. But consumer cultures do refer to the meanings, values, emotions and practices surrounding the use of goods and services, including how people use their bodies through …

Implementation Of The Dit-Achiev Model For Sustainable Tourism Destination Management: Killarney, Ireland, A Case Study, Kevin Griffin, Maeve Morrissey, Sheila Flanagan

Conference papers

The DIT-ACHIEV Model is a model of sustainable tourism indicators developed in a previous research project undertaken by the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism, Dublin Institute of Technology. The indicators represent six fields of interest – Administration, Community, Heritage, Infrastructure, Enterprise and Visitor (Flanagan et al, 2007). This current research addresses the implementation of the DIT- ACHIEV model in an Irish tourism destination, with the objective to assess whether it can be implemented by the local community in any tourism destination.

The methodology used to implement the model is based on recommendations by Goodey (1995) and Denman (2006). Goodey …