Preface
Leisure services encompass a variety of initiatives and related to the planning,
development, and operation of parks, trails, zoos, and many other recreational and
athletic facilities. Together, they are responsible for millions of jobs around the
world.
But in order to ensure their long-term viability, leisure services need to be
sustainable. And it is based on the perceived need to promote and disseminate
information on sustainable development in the scope of leisure management in
communities, and taking into account the perspectives and needs of enterprises, that
the ‘Handbook of Sustainable Development and Leisure Services’ was produced.
The book compiles information, experiences, practical initiatives and projects
around the subject matter of sustainability and leisure services, and is of interest to a
wide audience. Each of the 20 chapters focuses on a key area of research and best
practices in the field of sustainable development in relation to leisure services
(including sport/recreation and tourism), which has not yet been comprehensively
studied. The interdisciplinary team of authors from nine countries (India, Panamá,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and USA) includes a mix of
scholars in human geography, management, sustainability and leisure intersections,
behavioral economists, sociologists, and tourism.
We thank the authors for their efforts in elaborating the manuscripts and the
reviewers for the many useful comments provided.
We expect that the ‘Handbook of Sustainable Development and Leisure
Services’ will be of interest and use to professionals working in the field of leisure
service clearers and, inter alia, lead to an increase in the demand for such important
services.
Warsaw, Poland
Dr. Adrian Lubowiecki-Vikuk
Barcelos, Portugal
Dr. Bruno Miguel Barbosa de Sousa
Novi Sad, Serbia
Dr. Bojan M. Đerčan
Hamburg, Germany/Manchester, UK
Prof. Dr. h. c. Walter Leal Filho
v
Leisure services encompass a variety of initiatives and related to the planning,
development, and operation of parks, trails, zoos, and many other recreational and
athletic facilities. Together, they are responsible for millions of jobs around the
world.
But in order to ensure their long-term viability, leisure services need to be
sustainable. And it is based on the perceived need to promote and disseminate
information on sustainable development in the scope of leisure management in
communities, and taking into account the perspectives and needs of enterprises, that
the ‘Handbook of Sustainable Development and Leisure Services’ was produced.
The book compiles information, experiences, practical initiatives and projects
around the subject matter of sustainability and leisure services, and is of interest to a
wide audience. Each of the 20 chapters focuses on a key area of research and best
practices in the field of sustainable development in relation to leisure services
(including sport/recreation and tourism), which has not yet been comprehensively
studied. The interdisciplinary team of authors from nine countries (India, Panamá,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and USA) includes a mix of
scholars in human geography, management, sustainability and leisure intersections,
behavioral economists, sociologists, and tourism.
We thank the authors for their efforts in elaborating the manuscripts and the
reviewers for the many useful comments provided.
We expect that the ‘Handbook of Sustainable Development and Leisure
Services’ will be of interest and use to professionals working in the field of leisure
service clearers and, inter alia, lead to an increase in the demand for such important
services.
Warsaw, Poland
Dr. Adrian Lubowiecki-Vikuk
Barcelos, Portugal
Dr. Bruno Miguel Barbosa de Sousa
Novi Sad, Serbia
Dr. Bojan M. Đerčan
Hamburg, Germany/Manchester, UK
Prof. Dr. h. c. Walter Leal Filho
v