Name

Registration number

Sign

Okello Peter
Muraya Moses
Ulwenya Doreen
Mbithe Georgina
Mutinda Katherine

CHALLENGES IN PROVIDING LEISURE AND

RECREATION FACILITIES

CHALLENGES IN PROVIDING LEISURE AND RECREATION

DefinitionLeisure is a period of time spent out of work and essential domestic activities. It is a period of
recreational and discretionary time before or after necessary activity such as eating and sleeping,
going to work or running a business. Against the background of social change, the meaning of
leisure itself has also been radically transformed in recent years. In the past, it was thought of
primarily as time free from work or obligation that provided the opportunity for slow-paced
relaxation and recovery from stress, or for enjoyable pursuits undertaken solely for their own
sake. If leisure had any purpose at all beyond pleasure, it was to help restore oneself for work,
contribute to family life and community cohesion and--in terms of organized recreation
programs--to help combat juvenile delinquency. Finally, it was thought of primarily as the
possession of the wealthy and powerful--Thorstein Veblen's so-called "leisure class."
Today, many of these views have been sharply reversed. Many Americans now think of leisure as
activity that is organized and purposeful, carried out to achieve personal goals such as fitness,
career advancement, or social status. They commit themselves to a host of scheduled and often
stressful pursuits and in doing so; lose much of the freedom and spontaneity that was considered
essential to true leisure.
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time often done for amusement,
enjoyment or pleasure and are considered fun.

Question
What are the three dimensions of leisure?
a. State of mind, recreational activity, freedom
CHALLENGES IN PROVIDING LEISURE AND RECREATION FACILITIES
Growth of travel by people with disability, elderly and children.
People with disabilities and older persons are becoming a growing group of consumers of travel,
sports, and other leisure-oriented products and services. Furthermore, with regard to physical
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access, families with young children, who are also becoming part of this increasing tourist
market, have similar needs to persons with disabilities and older persons. Thus large numbers of
people require tourism to be made barrier-free.
Challenges of climate change
The viability of some tourism destinations remains negatively affected by climate change
occurring at the global level. Climate change is expected to progressively degrade amenities in
destinations ranging from low-lying Small Island States to mountain resorts. In developing
countries and LDCs such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives and Myanmar, tourism activities
based in coastal and river delta areas could be significantly affected by sea level rise. In Nepal
and Bhutan, increasing temperatures are already beginning to melt the glaciers, negatively
affecting mountain tourism.
The solution in Responding to climate change is through efforts to transform the tourism
businesses into the green economy. Reductions in carbon emissions from energy and transport
offer opportunities for firms to reduce the carbon footprint of tourism. A growing number of
hotels have adopted energy efficiency programs to limit carbon dioxide emissions associated
with tourists stays.
Increasing the spending power of tourists.
One of the challenges in managing tourism lies in attracting destination visitors who spend
more money and stay longer than pass-through visitors. Destination clients experience their
vacation differently, with a greater opportunity to experience local culture, relax and rejuvenate,
or explore local activities in-depth. By substituting pass-through tourism with destination visits,
fewer miles are driven and fewer resources are used. Additionally, destination visitors emphasize
shopping, are interested in tours with local guides and outfitters, often visit heritage and cultural
sites, and as a result, generate a different mix of jobs in the local economy.
Funding Tourism Development
Another challenge is the sources to fund tourism projects as they require a lot of money to fund
and develop especially at the community level. Lack of financial resources for local
communities, municipal buildings and state run property to introduce energy saving measures,
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renewable energy, lack of new technologies, expensive renewable energy appliances. Once a
community vision has been established through an effective planning process, funding quality
tourism development presents communities with the next big challenge. A number of public and
private resources are available and many communities are using creative means to protect their
unique resources.
Seasonality of tourism
It is common for a tourist destination to experience seasonal differences in tourist arrivals. This
situation leads of under-use of tourist facilities and services during certain periods of the year,
and often-excessive demand at other times. The objective is to address Reducing Tourism
seasonality as a serious issue affecting tourism industry.
Safety and Security
As tourism grows, security and safety become more important and travelers will expect safeguarding measures in transportation, accommodation and other services and facilities. Many
terrorists target tourist places as they are easier to target and the media coverage after the event is
tremendous. Perceptions about personal safety and unsafe environments can restrict some people
from being physically active.
Globalization and ICT growth
Globalization is driven by technological change Accelerated globalization is related to the boom
in information and communications technologies.
These technologies have shaped the infrastructure of globalization in finance, capital mobility
and export-oriented business activity. Since the early 1980s, through such innovations as 24-hour
electronic trading, information and microelectronics-based computer and telecommunications
technologies have made financial globalization possible. They have also created the conditions
for global product information and thus for the globalization of demand. Keeping up with these
technological changes prove to be difficult as they require major investment and integration of
these systems with others. Obsolesce of a technology proves to be very expensive especially to
small investor.

Environmental issues
Environmental issues during the construction of tourism and hospitality facilities projects,
particularly those in urban locations, are common to those of nonhazardous industrial activities
These issues include construction site waste generation, soil erosion and sediment control from
materials-sourcing areas and site preparation activities, fugitive dust and other emissions (e.g.
from vehicle traffic, land clearing and movement, and materials stockpiles), noise from heavy
equipment and truck traffic, and potential for hazardous materials and oil spills associated with
heavy equipment operation and fueling activities. Development of tourism facilities at remote
and sensitive locations poses additional challenges specific to such issues as infrastructure
support and wildlife habitat management.
OTHER CHALLENGES INCLUDE
I.

Commoditization many of the leisure business has been commercialized to a greater

extent that some of the activities have lost their originality. E.g. production houses like

II.

Warner Bros have taken over many broadcasting houses.

Influence of technology- due to the changing technology day in day out providing
leisure and recreation has become a challenge because of trying to keep up with the pace
of technology and it is also expensive to keep updating the with the levels of the

III.

technology.
Population trends- with the way the world economy is changing the majority f people
are migrating from the rural area and settling in the urban areas of the world. Providing
leisure and recreation is becoming more difficult because their needs and preferences are

IV.

becoming harder to meet.

Increase in discretionary time-the time take by people off their jobs is becoming
increasingly high everyday thus recreation demands is increasing steadily. This requires

V.

the section to continuously update their facilities and also to vary their service provision.
Recreation contribution to health and fitness-the sector is facing the challenge of

VI.
VII.

providing leisure and recreation that meets the needs for health and fitness of customers.
Environmental concerns
Managing social classes- due to the different social classes in the society their needs and
want s will vary considerably because the upper classes will demand for more expensive
types of recreational facilities and activities than the lower classes in the society. The

challenge is to provide leisure that meets the wants of the different camps that is
VIII.

acceptable to all.
Use of drugs- the industry face a major challenge in addressing the use of drugs some of

IX.

which are acceptable and others are legally unacceptable to the society and governments.
Cultural differences- it is challenging to provide recreation that addresses the cultural
differences of the different people who use the facilities and participate in the activities. It
may be expensive to provide leisure and recreation in different areas where people from
different cultures feel their cultural preferences are taken care of.