THE RTS NEWSLETTER

Newsletter of the Association of American Geographers
Specialty Group on Recreation, Tourism, and Sport

Volume 22, No. 2 December 1996 Robert L. Janiskee, Editor

This past summer and fall I had the good fortune to attend two major tourism conferences outside the U.S. One was the International Geographical congress in The Hague, Netherlands, 4-10 August. The other was the Pacific Rim Tourism 2000 Conference in Rotorua, New Zealand, 3-5 November. At the IGC I attended most of the sessions sponsored by the Study group on the Geography of Sustainable Tourism. All of the sessions played to full rooms of close to 100 attendees, and even the business meeting was very well attended. Despite the Study Group's name, the topics spanned the entire spectrum of RTS geography. Interesting and lively discussion followed almost every paper. This was my first IGC, and I must say that, despite the mixed feelings between the IGU and our RTS Specialty group in the past, I very much enjoyed both the sessions and the friendly colleagues I met from all over the globe.

The New Zealand conference was organized by Martin Oppermann, an RTS geographer who moved "down under" this past summer. The group was small (about 200), but very enthusiastic. Dick Butler, our 1994 Roy Wolfe Award recipient, gave a keynote talk on the changing nature of ecotourism. Valene Smith, another RTS friend, also gave a keynote presentation on the future of global tourism. Like Martin, many of the numerous geographers in attendance had recently migrated from North America. As anyone who follows the tourism job market knows, tourism programs and positions are mushrooming in New Zealand and Australia. Excitement about this trend was very evident at the conference, and combined with the inherent friendliness of New Zealanders, this made for a very memorable experience. Attending these two conferences has strengthened my long-held feeling that some of the best tourism geography is done outside the United States. American RTS geographers should remember that they are part of a worldwide community of scholars, including many people who are really worth getting to know. - Alan A. Lew -

Are you using the Internet yet? If not, there is a good chance that you have that frustrating feeling of being on the outside looking in. These days, no serious RTS geographer can afford to forego the benefits of routinely accessing, distributing, and exchanging information and ideas on the Internet. The e-mail addresses and URLs supplied in this issue of the Newsletter represent only a tiny fraction of the available links to a rapidly-expanding treasure trove of RTS-relevant information. The ease, monetary savings, and lighting speed of the process never cease to amaze me, and I sometimes find myself wondering what I ever did before the Internet came along.

Folks, it's time we all worked together to help wipe out recreational geography. To do your part, you have only to scrupulously avoid using the term "recreational" in reference to geographic endeavors. The meanings conveyed by the term recreational include amusement, pastime, diversion, and frivolity--in short, the absence of work or serious intent. The many RTSers who still refer to their subdiscipline as "recreational geography" do not understand that this practice helps perpetuate the widely-held notion that RTS geography is not to be taken seriously. If you cannot bring yourself to say "RTS geography," at least say recreation geography instead of recreational geography. By the way, I believe that yours truly may have been the first to use the term RTS; I know that I was the first to use it in a publication. Given that RTS is a rather awkward moniker, maybe that is not such a creditworthy distinction. Some of you old-timers may remember RTS' predecessor, the acronym STaR (for Sport, Tourism, and Recreation). STaR was ditched because it erroneously implied that our subdiscipline centered on sports geography.

Sad to say, sports geography's role has diminished even further in recent years. With the retirement of sports geography pioneer John Rooney, the apparent demise of the journal Sport Place, the scarcity of sports geography courses, and the paucity of sports geography material in mainstream publications, sports geography seems to be floundering with no clear sense of purpose and direction. Will this research area be rejuvenated? Karl Raitz' recent book on The Theater of Sport, which was intended for a varied readership, illustrates one application of sports geography knowledge and expertise that has enduring value. In the arena of corporate America and the major sports foundations, Rooney's work on sport regionalization and the geographic aspects of sport marketing points the way to some exciting research frontiers (and rewarding nonacademic careers). In short, the demand for sports geography is probably as great as ever. The main problems seem to be a lack of critical mass and low visibility. There are simply too few sports geographers, and their collective research output is very small. The same problems exist, albeit to a lesser degree, in the area of outdoor recreation research. This leaves the tourism and travel research specialists to dominate the RTS realm by sheer weight of numbers and research output. One result is that sports geography and recreation geography get short shrift in this Newsletter. I cordially invite sports geographers and recreation geographers to help balance things out a bit by supplying newsworthy information to this Newsletter on a regular and timely basis--which is something they have not been doing for a long time.

We must elect a new slate of officers to head up this Specialty Group during 1997-1999. The RTS bylaws were changed a few year ago to provide for a mail ballot. The mail ballot was intended to "democratize" the election process, but it has proven unnecessary because no real competition for leadership slots has emerged. This issue will be taken up at this year's business meeting, and we are likely to resume electing our officers at the RTS business meeting. Meanwhile, the mail ballot requirement is still in force. You will find a mail ballot form at the end of this issue; remember that only dues-paying members of the RTS Specialty Group are eligible to vote. - Bob Janiskee -

RTS geography will be very much in evidence at the annual meeting of the AAG in Fort Worth this April. A full slate of RTS sessions has been placed on the program, providing a veritable feast of RTS-themed presentations. Hearty thanks to the session organizers, best wishes to the presenters, and special thanks to RTS geographer (and past RTS Chair) Andy Schoolmaster, who is chairing the AAG's Local Arrangements Committee this year. Some RTSers will doubtlessly want to participate in the field trip to American Airlines headquarters that is being organized by Rob Britton. If you are going to attend the AAG meeting, by all means plan to attend the RTS business meeting. This year's meeting should be an especially lively one, since a variety of important discussions, announcements, and awards are slated. Following the meeting we will have the traditional RTS dinner outing to honor the new recipients of the Wolfe and Rooney Awards and the winner of the Student Paper Competition. In a break with tradition, RTS will pick up the tab for the honorees' meals.

Several excellent nominees were considered for the recently established John Rooney Award, which honors exemplary work in the area of applied RTS geography. After careful consideration, the Rooney Award Committee has decided to make the inaugural presentation of the Rooney Award to Robert Britton, Managing Director of International Affairs for American Airlines. Rob's credentials are impressive. His dissertation on "International Tourism and Indigenous Development Objectives" (1978, Univ. of Minnesota) is a classic, and he has had an important influence on the development of tourism geography through publications such as his articles in the Annals of Tourism Research on resort enclaves and the economic impact of tourism in the Caribbean. After working for Republic and Northwest, Rob moved on to American Airlines where he has played a pivotal role in shaping American's global route system. Many RTSers attending the AAG meeting will want to attend Britton's plenary lecture on international aviation, which is sponsored by the transportation specialty group.

The Roy Wolfe Award is presented to individuals with a distinguished record of research, publication, and service to the RTS Specialty Group. Recipients of the Roy Wolfe Award act as a standing committee to select new honorees. Nominations are still accepted from the membership at large. To nominate someone for the Roy Wolfe Award, contact the RTS Chair, Alan Lew, by 1 March 1997. Roy Wolfe Award recipients to date include Lisle Mitchell, Peter Murphy, John Rooney, Richard Smith, Carlton Van Doren, Geoff Wall, Richard Butler, Charles Stansfield, and Robert Janiskee.

RTSNET-L, a discussion group set up for use by our specialty group membership and other interested parties, currently has about 125 subscribers. Since two- thirds of the subscribers are not members of this specialty group, RTSNET-L offers an example opportunity for wide-spectrum networking. To subscribe to the listserv, which is open and unmoderated, e-mail a request to the discussion group manager, Bob Janiskee, at or consult the RTS Homepage.

To subscribe to STICnet, the Sports Tourism International Council (STIC) fully-moderated e-mail list, send message SUBSCRIBE STIC to . STIC has >2,000 members and will soon host its 4th annual conference.

Have you visited the RTS website yet? Maintained by webmaster Alan Lew, the RTS Homepage is located at: www.geog.nau.edu/rts and offers a great variety of Useful Stuffe such as the membership directory, current issue of the RTS Newsletter, Student Paper Competition guidelines, instructions for subscribing to the RTSNET-L Discussion List, and information about the RTS paper sessions for the AAG meeting, recent RTS-themed publications, upcoming conferences, etc. RTS members desiring to post the URLs of their work on the WWW should contact Alan Lew at .

http://www.waiariki.ac.nz/~oppermam/jttm.html (Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing);
http://www.waiariki.ac.nz/~oppermam/ptr.html (newly-launched Pacific Tourism Review);
http://www.geog.ualberta.ca/alsrlsres.html (RLS Resources on the WWW);
http://www.wu-wien.ac.at/inst/tourism/resinfo/locale.html (Tourism Research in Europe [Research Resources]);
http://www.sirc.ca/tsic.html (Sports Tourism International Council);

The 1997 Directory of RTS Geographers is now available. You may obtain a copy of the directory at no cost via the RTS Website (see above) or by contacting the compiler, Bob Janiskee, at janiskee@sc.edu; be forewarned that it is a vary large file (164K). To obtain a hard copy at nominal cost, contact Janiskee at 803/777-6739 or write him at Dept. of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. Please check your entry in the 1997 membership directory at your earliest convenience. We want all RTSers included, and we want every entry to be as complete, accurate, and up-to-date as possible. Bob Janiskee is the contact person for all matters concerning revision of the RTS membership directory.

6-8 March 1997 at Arlington, VA. Teaming for Success: A Forum on Sport Tourism. Sponsored by the School of Business and Management, George Washington University (Mary Schorse at 202/994-5213 or Lisa Delpy delpy@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu or http://www.sbpm.gwu.edu/contract/opdr.htm).

20-22 March 1997 at Fairbanks, AK. Fourth Annual Ecotourism in Alaska Workshop (awrta@alaska.net). NB: sponsored by an ecotourism trade association that emphasizes resource protection issues.

1-2 May 1997 at Normal, IL. Second Annual Sport Tourism Research Symposium. Presented by the Illinois State University Bureau of Tourism & Recreation Research (Doug Turco at 309/438-5972 or dmturco@ilstu.edu; also see website http://www.its.ilstu.edu/btrr/btrr.html)

31 May-4 June 1977 at Montreal. Tenth International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking. (Try contacting RTSers Klaus Meyer-Arendt or Rudi Hartmann, both of whom plan to attend.)

15-18 June 1997 at Virginia Beach, VA. 28th Annual Conference of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA). Combination of seminar and poster sessions (Dan Fesenmaier at 217/333-4410 or drfez@uiuc.edu for seminar presentations and Bill Norman at 864/656-2060 or wnorman@clemson.edu for poster sessions).

Mark Okrant, who was recently elected to the Board of TTRA-International (a coveted distinction), has signed a contract to coordinate tourism research for the New Hampshire Office of Travel & Tourism Development though June 2000. Mark also recently worked for the state of Alaska, and while evaluating the potential of niche tourism development in the Alaskan bush he met with reindeer farmers, chatted with totem pole and ivory carvers, and even participated in a drum dance and hand-trammed across the Kennicott River.

For the past two summers Jeff Allender has been working with the Fundacion Amigos de la Naturaleza (FAN), a semi-private organization in charge of developing and operating two of the newest and largest national parks in Bolivia. Jeff's work, which focuses on long-range development plans for a 1.5m-acre virgin forest in the Andes, entails siting trails, analyzing infrastructure for international tourism, training guards, working with local farmers, etc.

Klaus Meyer-Arendt and co-editor Rudi Hartmann are aiming for a late Spring publication date for their book on Casino Gambling in America: Origins, Trends, and Impacts (Cognizant Communications Corp.). Klaus will also have a couple of chapters on wetlands changes and the landscape effects of casino gambling in the new Citizen's Guide to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and will have an article on gambling in the Gaming Law Review, a new journal being launched in March 1977 (contact dawnschoen@aol.com).

Alan Lew has been appointed visiting fellow, National University of Singapore, for 1997-1998.

Colleagues, friends, and former students of the recently-retired Carlton Van Doren are raising money for a memorial tree and bench at Texas A&M (contributions still gladly welcomed).

Andy Schoolmaster has stayed very busy, not only serving as Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for the Fort Worth meeting, but also heavily involved in the Applied Geography Conference and in NSF review work.

Co-editors Michael Hall and Dick Butler are putting the finishing touches on their new book on rural tourism development, which will be published by Wiley.

Valene Smith's Tourism Dynamics series, formerly handled by the University of Pennsylvania Press, is moving to Cognizant Communications Corp.

Martin Oppermann, Editor-in-Chief of Pacific Tourism Review, has edited a book entitled Pacific Rim Tourism (CAB International, 1997).

When Bob Janiskee is not updating and expanding his 35,000-event databank on festivals and related events, he writes about rural community reimaging, place celebrations, and community festivals. Lisle Mitchell keeps out of trouble by editing manuscripts for the Annals of Tourism Research, conducting research on leisure time budgets and leisure business districts, and performing the manifold duties of RTS Secretary-Treasurer.

Alas, Lisle's golf game is moribund and several of his fellow players have suggested that he take up ice fishing or some other sport that does not require hand-eye coordination or mental agility.

If all the people employed by the travel and tourism industry lived in one country, that country would rank 10th in population, just behind Japan, and it would have a GNP of 3.5 trillion dollars, ranking second only to the United States. It would also be the world's fastest growing country in terms of both population and GNP. [This factoid was shamelessly stolen from TOURISTinfo.]

Dr. Alan Lew (RTS Chair), Dept. of Geography, Planning and Recreation, Northern Arizona University, Box 15016, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5016 (928/523-6567; fax 928/523-2275; e-mail ;

Dr. Lisle Mitchell (RTS Secretary- Treasurer), Dept. of Geography, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 (803/777-2986; fax 803/777-4972; e-mail ;

Dr. Robert L. Janiskee (RTS Newsletter Editor), Dept. of Geography, Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 (803/777-6739; fax 803/777-4972; e-mail .

Michael Hall's New Zealand mailing address contains a line that reads "Te Whare Wananga o te Upoko o te Ika a Maui."

The Centre International de Recherches et d'Etudes Touristiques (CIRET) in Aux-en-Provence, France is compiling an International Directory of Researchers on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation & Leisure, which will be published and also made available on the Internet. RTS geographers are invited to complete a questionnaire and, where possible, supply copies of their publications. For a copy of the questionnaire, contact Bob Janiskee (803/777-6739 or janiskee @sc.edu).

Proceedings of the International Pacific Rim Tourism 2000 Conference at Rotorua, NZ, 3-5 November 1996 (ISBN 0-473-04194-4). Almost 400 pages, with over 40 papers/abstracts by tourism researchers from 17 countries. Contact Martin Oppermann (oppermann@mt.waiariki.ac.nz or Centre for Tourism Studies, MDC, Waiariki Polytechnic, Private Bag 3028, Rotorua, New Zealand).

The Sports Tourism International Council (STIC) is replacing its electronic edition of Journal of Sport Tourism with an e-zine version published by MCB- University Press.

Wahab, Salah and John Pigram. 1997. Tourism, Sustainability and Growth. Routledge.

Borocz, Jozsef. 1996. Leisure Migration: A Sociological Study on Tourism. Pergamon.

Only dues-paying RTS members are eligible to vote. After recording your votes, detach the ballot and mail it to: Dr. Robert L. Janiskee, Dept. of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208. Ballots must be received by 15 March 1997.

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RTS Chair (vote for one)
___ Barbara Carmichael (Wilfred Laurier University)
___ ______________________________________________

RTS Secretary-Treasurer (vote for one)
___ Lisle Mitchell (University of South Carolina)
___ ______________________________________________

RTS Board (vote for three)
___ Dimitri Ioannides (Southwest Missouri State University)
___ Simon Milne (McGill University)
___ Charles Stansfield (Rowan College of New Jersey)
___ ______________________________________________
___ ______________________________________________
___ ______________________________________________

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