Sustainable Development and Leisure Services: Changes and Trends
7
and Martinez (2013) reinforce the importance of natural resources (which are finite)
and, as such, it is necessary to protect, care for, enjoy and use them in a sustainable
way.
The debate about business, leisure and sustainability tends to focus on corporate
responsibility. According to Battisti and Perry (2011), this is understandable in terms
of the direct impact of individual organizations and the greater external pressure on
them to change. Through their power in the marketplace, large enterprises exert
influence over a much larger population of enterprises (Blowfield and Murray 2014).
According to Pinto da Silva et al. (2019), leisure development should be implemented in line with the sustainability of organizational strategies and be equally
distributed for social, environmental, and economic benefits to all the community’s
stakeholders (Li and Wan 2013; Nunkoo and Gursoy 2012; Jeon et al. 2016; Seraphin
et al. 2018). Several leisure activities are facing seasonal fluctuations of customers.
Depending upon the major characteristics of leisure in the host community, one
particular season may draw more tourism compared to other seasons (Jeon et al.
2016).
Several studies have discussed the major aspects of leisure, such as economic
benefits, social concerns, environmental sustainability, and their impacts on residents’ attitudes or perceptions toward tourism in the host community (Choi and
Sirakaya 2005). Another important issue deriving from the excess of leisure is related
to authenticity, and how to assure its preservation as part of cultural heritage and
social life (Belhassen et al. 2008; Kim and Jamal 2007; Pinto da Silva et al. 2019).
The global scale of commodities, finance, media, and population has transformed
the discourse and raised questions about the continuing relevance of the traditional
concepts of authenticity (Zhu 2012). The role of heritage as a carrier of historical values from the past means that it is seen as part of the cultural tradition of
society. In leisure contexts, loyalty is held as the commitment to rebuy or enjoy the
product/service again, giving consistency to the future of the same brand, regardless
of the influences of the moment or marketing strategies (Prayag and Ryan 2012). In
recent years, ‘the interest in relational studies has been increasing in the management literature’ (Koseoglu et al. 2016, p. 189). A visitor’s loyalty is related to the
intention of returning to a tourist destination (revisit) and/or recommending it to relatives, friends and others (Alonso-Almeida et al. 2014). For instance, and according
to Ferreira et al. (2019), creative tourism and several leisure activities depend heavily
on the tourists’ active involvement and attachment, who are not just in a place and
watching, but rather are interacting and co-creating the whole experience, actively
learning about their outskirts and applying this knowledge to develop their own skills.
Within creative tourism, interaction and a greater experience are allowed; that is, the
tourist of today seeks the greatest dynamics and a direct contact with other cultures
and traditions, seeking to feel other sensations (i.e. leisure in the perspective of business responsibility). In this context, the ancient and traditional art of the county of
Barcelos, with its authenticity and variety, transforms all the wealth that makes this
region the largest handicraft center in Portugal by representing and characterizing the
greatest symbol of popular Portugal, the famous ‘Galo de Barcelos’. In Barcelos, this
art represents the livelihood of several families and numerous artisans. It represents a
7
and Martinez (2013) reinforce the importance of natural resources (which are finite)
and, as such, it is necessary to protect, care for, enjoy and use them in a sustainable
way.
The debate about business, leisure and sustainability tends to focus on corporate
responsibility. According to Battisti and Perry (2011), this is understandable in terms
of the direct impact of individual organizations and the greater external pressure on
them to change. Through their power in the marketplace, large enterprises exert
influence over a much larger population of enterprises (Blowfield and Murray 2014).
According to Pinto da Silva et al. (2019), leisure development should be implemented in line with the sustainability of organizational strategies and be equally
distributed for social, environmental, and economic benefits to all the community’s
stakeholders (Li and Wan 2013; Nunkoo and Gursoy 2012; Jeon et al. 2016; Seraphin
et al. 2018). Several leisure activities are facing seasonal fluctuations of customers.
Depending upon the major characteristics of leisure in the host community, one
particular season may draw more tourism compared to other seasons (Jeon et al.
2016).
Several studies have discussed the major aspects of leisure, such as economic
benefits, social concerns, environmental sustainability, and their impacts on residents’ attitudes or perceptions toward tourism in the host community (Choi and
Sirakaya 2005). Another important issue deriving from the excess of leisure is related
to authenticity, and how to assure its preservation as part of cultural heritage and
social life (Belhassen et al. 2008; Kim and Jamal 2007; Pinto da Silva et al. 2019).
The global scale of commodities, finance, media, and population has transformed
the discourse and raised questions about the continuing relevance of the traditional
concepts of authenticity (Zhu 2012). The role of heritage as a carrier of historical values from the past means that it is seen as part of the cultural tradition of
society. In leisure contexts, loyalty is held as the commitment to rebuy or enjoy the
product/service again, giving consistency to the future of the same brand, regardless
of the influences of the moment or marketing strategies (Prayag and Ryan 2012). In
recent years, ‘the interest in relational studies has been increasing in the management literature’ (Koseoglu et al. 2016, p. 189). A visitor’s loyalty is related to the
intention of returning to a tourist destination (revisit) and/or recommending it to relatives, friends and others (Alonso-Almeida et al. 2014). For instance, and according
to Ferreira et al. (2019), creative tourism and several leisure activities depend heavily
on the tourists’ active involvement and attachment, who are not just in a place and
watching, but rather are interacting and co-creating the whole experience, actively
learning about their outskirts and applying this knowledge to develop their own skills.
Within creative tourism, interaction and a greater experience are allowed; that is, the
tourist of today seeks the greatest dynamics and a direct contact with other cultures
and traditions, seeking to feel other sensations (i.e. leisure in the perspective of business responsibility). In this context, the ancient and traditional art of the county of
Barcelos, with its authenticity and variety, transforms all the wealth that makes this
region the largest handicraft center in Portugal by representing and characterizing the
greatest symbol of popular Portugal, the famous ‘Galo de Barcelos’. In Barcelos, this
art represents the livelihood of several families and numerous artisans. It represents a