This is a key reference guide for the exploration of leisure and outdoor recreation. It reflects the multidisciplinary nature of these fields and contextualizes the leading research and knowledge on key concepts, theories and practices.

Edited by leading authorities in the field, this volume includes a comprehensive index, and up-to-date suggestions for further reading. It is an essential resource for teaching, an invaluable companion to independent study, and a solid starting point for wider subject exploration.

Recent years have witnessed a change from the passive, low key use of rural areas for recreation to the explosion of tourism as a highly active and dominant agent of change and control in the countryside and associated rural communities. This book considers the effects of rural recreation and tourism with special reference to:
* the economics of rural restructuring
* public sector rural policies
* imaging and reimaging
* the social dynamics of rural change
* sustainability of tourism and recreation in rural areas
Contemporary reflections of each of these...