Journal articles on the topic 'Economic aspects of Seaside resorts'

The article deals with the study of the development of seaside resort and tourist agglomerations as a new spatial form of spatial location capable of using the tourist recreational potential much more reasonably and efficiently in order to attract tourists and solve social and economic problems of the region. It is established that in the course of the agglomeration development, the territories are consolidated through the distribution of functions ensuring their development. On the basis of the review of foreign research experience a number of positive effects of the agglomeration management model for all the economic industries and sectors as well as for tourism have been revealed. The analysis of world’s experience in the formation and development of seaside resort and tourist agglomerations in Europe, North and Latin America and Asia makes it possible to identify some specific aspects and tendencies of the development of seaside resort and tourist agglomerations. The conclusion is made that the dynamic promotion of world tourism and its social value requires a comprehensive study of the agglomerations’ problems and possibilities of the management of urban processes in Russia in order to keep ecological and social sustainability and overcome recreational and tourist space deficit in regions. Special attention is paid to the strategic planning of the development of agglomerations on the basis of the system approach and to the introduction of platforms of integral technologies including the “smart” city concept as well as other innovative systems for agglomeration management. The main research methods are the following: descriptive method, comparative method, content analysis. The results of the research may be applied for the development of strategic and territorial planning of municipalities and municipal units in the South of Russia as well as for municipal policy and practice focused on the efficient development of the Azov- Black Sea resort agglomerations.

The paper presents the main trends in the development of seaside resorts worldwide and in Poland. Particular attention is called to the spatial aspects of this development. Based on their morphological differentiation, two forms of seaside resort in Poland can be distinguished: locations with a clearly heterogeneous spatial-functional structure, in which areas used for tourism are adjacent to others; and locations with a heterogeneous spatial-functional structure in which the tourism function is, to a certain extent, spatially isolated.

AbstractA network of seaside and hill resorts created by foreigners gradually took shape in China during the late Qing and Republican periods. Such places were both a touristic novelty in China and the focal point of a type of tourist experience that was modern in a variety of ways. This article examines tourist accounts, tourist guidance material, and other sources, in an attempt to understand the major habits, norms, perceptions, and meanings of tourism to the seaside and hill resorts as a new type of tourism in China, from its inception to the downfall of the Nationalist government in 1949. For this purpose, it explores three aspects that were central to resort tourism: its strong association with an idea of refuge, its identification as an ideal experience, and its important physical component. While the article aims at an overall analysis of this new element of tourist culture in China, it also seeks to locate it within the wider contexts of tourist culture and of the broad motivations and anxieties of this period.

This paper examines the impact of two contrasting economic systems upon the development of the European spa resorts. These are British systems of market capitalism and continental European systems of state-managed capitalism. The author identifies factors facilitating the success of spa resorts and also those associated with their business failure. He challenges conventional explanations that the rise in fashionability of seaside resorts led to the demise of the inland British spa resort and develops an alternative explanation. He demonstrates that the root of the explanation for their decline is an economic one, namely a failure of public and private investment to renew the British tourist product to a level where it could compete effectively in the international marketplace. This happened because British structures of capitalism were ill adapted to facilitate the levels of investment and innovation required for British spas to modernize sufficiently to enable them to compete effectively against emerging continental European rivals benefiting from substantial public-sector support. Visiting spas remained popular amongst the English-speaking upper classes into the twentieth century; the significant change was that, whereas once they preferred to patronize British resorts, from the mid-nineteenth century onwards, they chose to visit more modern and attractive continental European destinations.

Seasonality is a specific problem of Romanian tourism, especially on the Black Sea seaside. Through a comprehensive approach, based on statistical data, we show the huge differences between the summer and the off-season offer, providing a starting point for future studies, both from official and field sources. The Krugman's Core-Periphery model clearly emphasizes that the development of a core neglects the periphery, and seasonality only accentuates its affectation until its complete abandonment, stagnation of development or regression. The impact of seasonality on the Romanian Black Sea seaside determines, to a certain extent, the development of egocentric poles, around which satellite-resorts are extremely dependent, their improvement requiring a research of all economic indicators involved. The development of the Northern Zone to the detriment of the Southern one has led to the emergence of extremely comprehensive results on the current situation, and the intense study of this area could reduce the socio-economic gap between them, being profitable for both private and public.

Coastal regions of the Baltic Sea are among the most intensively used worldwide, resulting in a need for a holistic management approach. Therefore, there is a need for strategies that even out the seasonality, which would ensure a better utilization of natural resources and infrastructure and improve the social and economic conditions. To assess the effectiveness of coastal zone planning processes concerning sustainable tourism and to identify and substantiate significant physical geographical factors impacting the sustainability of South Baltic seaside resorts, several data sets from previous studies were compiled. Seeking to improve the coastal zone’s ecological sustainability, economic efficiency, and social equality, a qualitative study (content analysis of planning documents) and a quantitative survey of tourists’ needs expressed on a social media platform and in the form of a survey, as well as long-term hydrometeorological data, were used. Furthermore, a Bayesian Network framework was used to combine knowledge from these different sources. We present an approach to identifying the social, economic, and environmental factors influencing the sustainability of coastal resorts. The results of this study may be used to advise local governments on a broad spectrum of Integrated Coastal Management matters: planning the development of the beaches and addressing the seasonality of use, directing investments to improve the quality of the beaches and protect them from storm erosion, and maintaining the sand quality and beach infrastructure. The lessons learned can be applied to further coastal zone management research by utilizing stakeholders and expert opinion in quantified current beliefs.

This article presents the disparate, yet similar, stories of foreign tourist resorts built on Yugoslavia’s coast in the 1960s: two of them owned privately, by the French Club Méditerranée, in Pakoštane (Croatia) and on Sveti Marko island (Montenegro); one, in Bečići (Montenegro), the property of socialist Czechoslovakia and its Trade Union organization ( Revoluční Odborové Hnutí). Drawing on archival documents, newspapers, and magazine articles as well as interviews, I discuss why these resorts were established, and how they operated within their specific material, financial, and metaphorical contexts, while also examining how tourists and tourism planners assigned meanings to tourism, and envisioned it within its global context. The French-owned Club Med’s resorts were profit-oriented, private initiatives that catered toward individuals and families on vacations that were envisioned as a means of personal growth. Revoluční Odborové Hnutí’s resort, by contrast, was owned by socialist Czechoslovakia’s labor union. It served union members and their families, and was designed according to principles of social and collective tourism. Nevertheless, as this article argues, each of these resorts embodied core features of the modern, time-restricted, spatially managed, and pleasure-oriented experience of vacation abroad. Moreover, a concept of insularity—the comfort of sojourning in a self-contained space that was at once foreign and familiar—defined each resort’s conception and promotion of their seaside vacations, thus bridging the projects’ ideological and institutional differences, and superseding local understandings of place. The projects’ histories, finally, prefigured contemporary tourism’s contradictions and complexities, such as the dwindling of conventional distinctions (between home and abroad, for instance). At the background of this comparative analysis is the broader history of tourism in postwar Yugoslavia, which held high hopes for tourism as a vector for economic development and the promotion of good international relations.

The aim of the paper is to find out an answer of the question - what economic solutions and law regulations will stimulate the efficient functioning and development of the Polish health resorts, in conditions of strong competition on the European market of tourist-spa. An additional aim of this work is to identify the drivers of competitiveness and quality of tourist.

Mountain and snow tourism are sectors of immense social and economic importance that are developed in an especially sensitive environmental context. A large part of this tourism is channeled through ski resorts. The literature on comparative studies of ski-resort management and, in particular, on marketing management, is limited. This study contributes knowledge on the application of marketing practiced at ski resorts. For the first time, an audit of marketing at ski resorts is performed through a quantitative survey at resorts in two countries (Spain and Italy). The importance–performance analysis (IPA) is used, which identifies both the strong and the weak points and the great deficits of marketing management at ski resorts from the perspective of their directors, to whom the questionnaire was addressed. The social media usage of the ski-stations is also analyzed, identifying different typologies of resorts in accordance with their performance against 11 indicators from Twitter and 15 from Facebook. Knowing the opinion of the visitors, the online and competitive strategy, and adapting to the legislative changes are the aspects to which the directors attach greater importance. The greatest deficits were linked to employee motivation and communication (internal and non-integrated). There are minor differences in Twitter and Facebook indicators between Spanish and Italian ski resorts. The turnover results of the ski resorts present more correlation with Facebook indicators than with Twitter ones. This analysis provides recommendations and implications for the management of ski resorts in the six dimensions of marketing under consideration. It, likewise, offers knowledge of the social-media-related behavior of resorts that are leaders on both Twitter and Facebook, for benchmarking purposes.

Rural territories may benefit from the entrepreneurial dynamics created by small tourism businesses, especially if associated to lifestyle motivations of respective entrepreneurs. Despite distrust amongst some researchers regarding small tourism businesses' contribution to rural economies, their potential role for enhancing rural development, should not be neglected. Rural tourism has grown in many rural regions worldwide and today it is a stable driver of rural social and economic development. In this paper we argue that rural tourism growth should follow a divergent path from sea tourism development, because failing to do so would likely push rural tourism toward mass tourism, resulting in a harmful twofold effect: given that mass tourism requires built-up expansion to accommodate larger number of tourists, in rural areas this will certainly compromise the beauty of the landscape which is a fundamental local resource for rural tourism; built-up growth required to satisfy seaside mass tourism expectations is often characterized as holiday resorts, artificial villages, and residential high-density condos, with a consequent loss of cultural-traditional identity, which is also a key element for rural landscapes’ attractiveness.

SummaryHealth and pleasure resorts constitute a distinctive, numerous and important kind of industrial town. But they, and the service industries which are central to their economies, have hardly been studied from a social conflict and industrial relations perspective. This paper opens out this theme by analysing a strike in the catering trades in San Sebastián, at the time Spain's largest and most prestigious seaside resort, at the height of the holiday season in August. The course of the strike is charted in its economic and political context, and the reasons for its outbreak, and for an ensuing attempt to escalate it into a local general strike, are analysed. Particular attention is paid to the status in the labour market of the camareros or hotel, restaurant and café waiters who withdrew their labour, and to reactions to the strike among local media who were deeply conscious of the importance to San Sebastián's staple industry of sustaining a carefully-constructed image of tranquillity and security. Comparisons are made with British resort experiences in the turbulent years between 1916 and 1921, and further work on this theme is urged, especially for this important period.

Abstract The touristic expansion happens easier in a balanced climate, with standards that guarantee a constant ecologic balance and avoid the overuse of resources, pollution and any other negative impacts on the environment. MICE – Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition Industry – represents one of the industries with the highest rate of growth in the world, but unfortunately it is poorly developed in Romania. In Romania, the tourism, as a socio–economic phenomenon, integrates in the country’s economy, having the necessary conditions for accentuated growth and the optimisation of the degree of usage of the touristic stock. According to the recommendations of the World Tourism Organisation, Romania should focus on the cultural, ecologic, events and spa tourism. The prognosis of the World Tourism and Travel Council from the United States of America show that by the year 2020, the rhythm of growth of the business and events tourism in Romania will be of about 8% yearly. In this context, our country may occupy an important position in the MICE touristic activities market, if it would use the existing touristic potential and future investments in order to create favourable conditions for this type of tourism. We bring into the debate the existence of equipment which could help the business tourism, the presence of beautiful landscape areas (the Danube Delta, the Black Sea seaside, medieval cities and monasteries, touristic resorts from the Carpathians also.), presentation of the local folk traditions and crafts, the chromatic spectrum of the seasons in Romania and not lastly the folklore and gastronomy. These could be joined by the existence of a rich cultural life – especially in the large cities and touristic resorts-, the presence of museums and memorial houses, and we could not exclude the areas which have preserved their natural potential and rare fauna species. This work aims to emphasize business tourism as a sustainable form of tourism, which can lead to a relaunch in services and economic development of the local communities in a competitive international economy.

The article discusses the idea of creating magnetogravitational high-speed railway (MSM) for passenger traffic on the route "Adler - Kislovodsk - Mineralnie Vody". Introduction. MSM linking the main resorts of the North Caucasus will have an agglomeration effect on their development by bringing more tourists, will create a market of transportations in between these recreational facilities, which are now essentially absent. Analysis: With the appearance of the line MVSM 5 disparate resorts - Sochi, KVM, Arkhyz, Elbrus, Dombay - will become a major mixed-use resort cluster offers Spa services, ski programs and a seaside holiday. The cluster will have 2 of the airport of Sochi and Mineral Waters associated MSM, marine station, and the lines of the existing railway. The numbers of annual tourist arrivals in the structure of passenger traffic, investment costs and cost of travel are the most influencing payback. The project itself MVSM designed for tourists. Therefore, necessary deep pricing policy on tariffs for transportations on the line. In the first two years of operation of the highway in the financial model includes the cost of travel along the route 1 end in the amount of 1000 rubles. For the average family of three people a day excursion from Adler to Anapa, in particular, will cost 6000 RUB. Results: The necessity of using magnetogravitational technology on this high speed line due to the difficult mountainous terrain of the route, Maglev's ability to overcome steep slopes, turns with smaller radius curves in comparison with the technology "wheel-rail". As well as a lower negative impact on the nature of the Great Caucasus nature reserve. Conclusions: Formulated the main idea associated with the construction of high speed railway. Given economic evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed project

Abstract Between 2009 and 2013, research was conducted in the commune offices for the Podlaskie voivodeship which have large areas of protected Natura 2000 sites. The research is repeated every few years and widened to include new communes. The aim of the research was to determine the influence of the protected areas on the economic conditions of the communes. It is widely assumed that protected areas generate income for communes, however the communes claim that they incur large additional costs. The surveyed communes were critical of obligatory legal requirements in relation to the protected areas. It was argued that there are problems with obtaining natural resources and with the establishment of new summer resorts, residential and farm buildings and infrastructure; as well as the use and management of the site. The communes’ benefits incidental to the ownership of the protected area are not clear. As part of the benefits, the protected areas offer an opportunity for tourism development. According to the communes, protected areas generate losses in which the estimated losses are several times higher than the potential income. Studies indicate that the conservation cost factor should be considered in terms of financing the communes from the state budget.

Purpose The aim of this paper is to profile the World Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) theme issue “Tourism sustainability in the Alpine region: What are the major trends and challenges?” with reference to the experience of the theme editors and writing team. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses structured questions to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting-point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process. Findings It draws on a multidisciplinary approach to identify some key components of sustainable tourism for the French and Italian Alps. It reflects on research and stakeholder interaction that helped to shape the current and future thinking about how Alpine mountain resorts can enhance sustainability in relation to the destination offer, accommodation, transport and mobility and institutional, legal and socio-economic aspects. Practical implications The theme issue outcomes provide lines of enquiry for others to explore, and they reinforce the value of WHATT’s approach to collaborative working and writing. Originality/value The work reported in this theme issue provides research-based evidence of the need for rapid adaptation to sustainable tourism development for resorts in the French and Italian Alps. Traditionally designed to facilitate skiing and snow sports, the impact of climate change is forcing a rethink to safeguard Alpine tourism – a vital economic activity to these and most mountain tourism destinations.

Analysis of the potential and resources of each region in the country is necessary for improving the living conditions of an individual. The present task of the Lithuanian recreational system is to allow effective use of recreational resources on the Baltic seacoast. Recreational landscapes play an important role on which the prestige of a country depends. Its foreign visitors have an influence on appearance of new economic relations and investments into its economy. They leave a country with an impression about the potential of its economy, society and culture. This makes it important to ensure a constant growth of existing and future recreational sites, resorts and holiday settlements. This study deals with some of the strategic aspects of the country’s future development. Some concrete proposals on improving formation of recreational landscape are presented in the paper.

Eco-cultural projects are initiated in host communities to create livelihood opportunities linked to tourism and concurrently supporting conservation efforts. Research tends to focus on the sustainability of the projects after implementation with limited understanding of stakeholder issues during the planning stages. This study focuses on stakeholder perceptions of the proposed Eco-Culture Resort (ECR) in the Chelmsford Nature Reserve (CNR) at Ntshingwayo Dam in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa in relation to tourism potential. The methodological approach adopted entailed interviews with 50 respondents purposively selected from the ranks of three key stakeholder groups - government, business and community members. The main findings reveal that the stakeholders linked ECRs with conservation, sustainable development and tourism-related opportunities. Respondents also viewed the proposed resort as a tourist destination with huge economic development potential. The study reveals that ECRs have stakeholder support and perceived to have the potential to increase tourism opportunities and enhance the level of environmental awareness among both would-be visitors and the broader community. However, challenges arise that foreground the importance of extensive stakeholder engagement to ensure that tourism benefits are realised. There is limited research on examining stakeholder perceptions of tourism-related aspects of ECRs despite the growing recognition that understanding of different views, interests, opinions, expectations and concerns results in greater success of nature-based conservation and tourism projects. This research addresses this gap in the literature and addresses the issue of better understanding stakeholders' perceptions and concerns during the planning stages of ECRs.

Purpose – to assess the tourism industry development and its impact on Ukraine’s economy, to identify a set of problems hindering the significant development of the tourism industry, and to justify ways to increase competitiveness in the world market. Design/Method/Approach of the research. System approach, synthesis, analysis and comparison to assess the tourism development dynamics in Ukraine, correlation and regression analysis to determine the impact level of increasing the number of hotels and tourist-recreational enterprises on GDP growth in Ukraine, logical generalization to identify a set of problems holding back the significant development of local tourism and ways justification of increasing its competitiveness on the world market. Findings. This article presents the results of assessing the tourism dynamics, particularly the tourist flows, the number of resorts, the number of tourists served by tour operators and travel agents. The authors substantiated the ways of increasing the local tourism sector's competitiveness. Practical implications. The work results can make the basis for the development of fundamental and scientific-applied provisions contributing to the significant system formation of increasing the competitiveness of Ukraine's tourism industry by state and local authorities, establishing cooperation among market participants and forming optimal logistics flows, developing business models to optimize the flows of health and recreational facilities. Originality/Value. The research value is that its applied scientific provisions can be implemented in the strategy of economic development of local tourism in analytical and mathematical justifications of the relationship between economic growth and tourism development, which ultimately increases Ukraine regions’ competitiveness for sustainable development of the country’s economy. Research limitations/Future research. Future research should focus on identifying mechanisms to improve the procedure for increasing tourism enterprises' competitiveness and improving provided service quality. Paper type –empirical.

The article studies one of the aspects of the heat-insulating multifunctional shells use - the cold preservation. Such task is relevant for cold storages, workshops and warehouses, in which low temperatures constant maintenance is necessary, for sports facilities (for example, ice rinks and ski facilities). In all cases of application, the main goal is to achieve the economic efficiency, which is expressed in functional results (preservation of the material that breaks down at positive temperatures) and in energy savings. The use of polyethylene-based shells, which are connected by a lock joint, is substantiated. The experimental studies results of the material given in the article shows that in terms of resistance to low and alternating temperatures, operational durability, tensile strength and water absorption, this material and insulating shells based on it are quite applicable for insulation of cold-saving objects. The experience of using heat, vapor and moisture insulating shells based on polyethylene foam with the equipment of frameless and frame structures, sports facilities, as well as for the preservation of snow at ski resorts is also provided in the article.

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Public policies to protect natural environments are initiated by international organizations and are increasingly integrated in many countries. At the country level and at local government level, there is a regulation for the protection of species and the development of protected areas.However,in some countries, nature management policies do not pay much attention to issues raised by local populations, especially development issues. These seem often incompatible with the logic of protection of nature defended by the national administrations.There is a frequent contradiction between development issues based on the growth of usual economic activities and nature conservation issues. Recent studies show that there are ways to make these issues compatible. It is not a question of giving priority to one or the other but of bringing the two together while moving towards an integrated management of the protected territories. If the knowledge on this subject progresses for the countries of Europe, the knowledge is weaker for the southern shore of the Mediterranean region. The question of erosion of biodiversity is well understood by most countries bordering the southern Mediterranean countries. But it faces other priorities.Our study focuses on the case of a natural park located in the northeast of Algeria: the sector of the El Kala National Park, also known as EKNP. This territory faces a double strategic ambition: to strengthen the protection of nature but also to develop the agricultural economy and tourism. The question at stake is that of compatibility: how are the two issues compatible? What elements make it possible to measure the efforts undertaken? What innovative solutions can be suggested based on experiences from other nearby or similar territories? Our method relies on the analysis of 3 types of data: national statistics of Algeria according to its National Office of Statistics (NOS), conservation and development strategy documents and satellite data. Satellite data is used to measure the evolution of natural environments to measure the effectiveness of management measures. Then the results are confronted with the international scientific literature.Our study, resulting from the processing of LANDSAT images, shows an increase in the area of PNEK vegetation between 1995 and 2005. However, the study reflects the important contradiction between tourism potential and investment capacity. Public policies aim at the creation of large seaside resorts. On the other hand, no strategy is developed towards sustainable tourism in relation to the potential of the protected area.</p>

The introduction of quality, performance, and social responsibility systems in organizations that are open to learn and wish to permanently improve their activity ensures the sustainable development of those organizations. The purpose of this research is to investigate the characteristics of these three systems in order to identify the common impact areas and the existing interrelations, which would be able to facilitate an integrated approach and create an understanding of equifinalities at the organizational level. Moreover, such an integrated approach highlights the role of economic and financial analysis in the assessment of the quantifiable aspects and the direction in the assessment of the non-quantifiable ones. Through this, we intend to obtain a possible configuration for an integrated quality–performance–social responsibility approach applied to 11 entities in different Romanian health resorts recognized for their natural healing factors. The research was structured on two levels: one addressing the phenomenological approach and one dedicated to the application of the European Foundation for Quality Management. The research presents economic and financial data that are the processed results of a social survey regarding customer satisfaction as well as information from reports provided by internal and financial audit missions. The conclusions of our results reveal three distinct situations: low quality, reduced performance, and stakeholder dissatisfaction; low quality, high performance, and partial stakeholder satisfaction; and appropriate quality, high performance, and adequate stakeholder satisfaction.

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the current legislation on medical reform in the context of harmonization with international standards. In the conditions of social state building in Ukraine, the thesis is axiomatic regarding that the state should show concern for their citizens, including for the protection of their health. In this context, it is relevant to study the implementation of medical reform in Ukraine, since its content and the degree to which the proclaimed provisions are enforced depend on the ability of each person to access quality health care. Methodology. The article is based on international legal acts, laws and by-laws of Ukraine in the field of legal regulation of medical care. Both general scientific and special methodology were used for the research. Methods of analysis and synthesis, method of description, method of induction, method of deduction, method of correlation, etc. were applied. Results. The article defines the directions for harmonization of the legislation of Ukraine on health protection in accordance with international standards. Based on the ECHR practice, proposals have been formulated to improve the legislation of Ukraine. Conclusions. The ECHR has repeatedly concluded that the right to health is complex and includes: the right to information about one's health and the confidentiality of such information; the right to health care; the right to choose the doctor and the remedies freely; the right to a safe environment that affects health and so on. The state does not cover all aspects of providing medical care to citizens, but resorts to limited funding, since the state budget funds are only one of the types of sources of financing. Practical implications. We have formulated the following tasks: to analyze Ukraine's international legal obligations regarding health care; to identify major changes in health care financing and health care delivery in line with health care reform standards in Ukraine; to identify major health care funding issues.

COVID-19 is a novel infectious disease which has rapidly spread around the globe, disrupting several aspects of public life over the past year. After numerous infection clusters emerged among travelers hosted in ski resorts in early 2020, several European countries closed ski areas. These measures were mostly upheld throughout the 2020 and 2021 winter season, generating significant economic loss for mountain communities. The aim of this rapid systematic review was to explore the association between recreational skiing and the spread of COVID-19. This review was conducted according to the WHO practical guidelines on rapid reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, MedRxiv and Promed-mail were screened to identify relevant scientific and grey literature published since the emergence of COVID-19. Among the 11 articles included, seven focused on cases recorded during the first epidemic wave, when COVID-19 containment measures were not yet mandatory. Most infection clusters could be directly linked to public gatherings which took place without the enforcement of restrictions. There is currently no evidence to suggest an association between COVID-19 spread and recreational skiing. It may be reasonable to consider the reopening of ski areas in compliance with strict rules and preventive measures.

The present study aims at investigating the menaces towards tourism sustainability in Kota Wisata Batu (KWB – Batu city as an icon of tourism). The menaces took place due to the hotel constructions in the city that experienced an increase over the last four years. However, the resorts enlargement was not in line with the increasing number of visitors in the city. In addition to the issue of physical constructions, the city also suffered from natural environment and social matters along with the growth of tourism activities. Agropolitan-based tourism has not so far been able to sustain the balance of economic, environmental, and social demands, so it is necessary to design alternative attempts to maintain the tourism activities in KWB. The model of tourism in small scale with a basis of sports is believed to be able to handle the aforementioned problems. Small-scale sports tourism is potential to overcome the demands of social welfare as well as to protect the environment during tourism activities. Thus, the present study aims at conducting an observation on the potentials of small-scale sports tourism in KWB and performing assessment on the sustainability of the sports tourism. The study carried out mixed method of research with inductive theoretical direction. The results of the study indicate that the potential of small-scale sports tourism is present at tourist destinations that explore natural resources, cultures, and something artificial. The sustainability index gained from the study is 29.81154 that is still under the category of less sustainable. The condition is due to the low assessment of economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability. Therefore, there should be alteration in the management of small-scale sports tourism in Batu city in order to make the natural, cultural and artificial tourism destinations economic-, social-,and cultural-friendly.

Introduction. Apparently medicine and tourism have represented for a while distinct domains, both in terms of research and even in popular culture. While medicine is widely known as dedicated exclusively to healing and treating patients suffering from various diseases, tourism, popular since ancient times in relation to healing, is based on a person’s motivation towards obtaining a pleasant experience in optimal conditions that already require the existence of a good state of health. Considering the emergence of new challenges in medicine, mostly in terms of demand, there is a phenomenon of directing preferences or needs in order to obtain medical services in a relaxing touristic environment. Due to the rapid development of medical tourism, we consider opportune to study this phenomenon, both from the perspective of a social and economic impact and from the need to reorganize the tourism activity, emphasized with new forms and modern concepts. Material and method. As a limited number of research can be found related to medical tourism, and generally covers travelling for medical treatments or interventions, and also a few publications are dealing with theoretical aspects of this form of tourism, the main purpose of the article is to bring a scientific contribution to the global field of medical tourism, especially regarding the tourist expectations and attitudes towards an internal medical tourism offer. Using a quantitative research methodology, we aimed to achieve the following secondary objectives: identifying the interest, intention and reasons of respondents to practice medical tourism, establishing the level of confidence in the medical specialization of certain cities, assessing the level of knowledge and general perception on a treatment specifics in spa resorts structured in galaxy clusters. Results and discussions. Focusing on both national and international research, we have reached the conclusion that there is a lack of specific statistical indicators to analyze or compare the phenomenon of medical tourism. The shortcomings that are considered in the research may be caused mainly by inconsistencies of defining different concepts related to medical tourism or the confusion generated by the use of terms specific to medical or health tourism. Thus, the main objective of our research is to identify relevant aspects regarding the values, perception and attitudes of potential domestic medical tourists towards Romania’s medical tourism offer. Conclusions. There are certain limitations to our research, but it can surely become a basis for further developments regarding galaxy clusters and their impact in relation to a tourist’s needs. Keywords: medical tourism, spa resorts, medical providers, medical services demand, balneary tourism,

Tourism development requires the roles of both regional and central government. The roles of those governments in the economic development belong to the aspects of planning, policy, regulation, and public facilities development to support the tourism industry. Kulonprogo Regency has several nature-based tourism destinations that can actually be developed, but it has not been optimal yet. This study aims in determining the roles of the Government of Kulonprogo Regency in developing the tourism economy to be optimal in their area by concerning the environmental issues. This study uses the triangulation in both the data and the methods used. The theoretical approach used is the institutional economics based on the model of Williamson. The results of this study indicate that the roles of the all elements of government of Kulonprogo in the field of tourism economy development are the construction and the development of tourism destinations facilities, tourism marketing, tourism industry, and integrated related institutions. The determination of the prior destinations by the central government in 2017 was followed by the adoption of 5 zoning destinations/tourism strategic areas (KSPD) in Kulonprogo. Policies in the tourism sector is also followed by the policies on investment, particularly for infrastructure investment since the rapid growth of the investment climate and the development of mega projects in Kulonprogo (central-provincial government) to ignite the economic and the tourism development. Programs that are conducted by Kulonrogo Government through the Department of Tourism, Youth, and Sports in tourism are expected to affect the behavior/mindset of the tourism actors to concern and be more aware of tourism issues in anticipating the livelihood changes of most people in Kulonprogo (non-tourism changes into the tourism). The government should monitor and control the tourism destination development by concerning the issues of capacity, supporting capacity, and the environmental sustainability, especially around the nature-based tourism resorts.

Water pump control, prevalent in various industrial plants, such as wastewater treatment and steam generator facilities, plays a significant role in maintaining economic efficiency and stable plant operation. Due to its slow dynamics, strong nonlinearity, and various disturbances, it is also widely studied as a typical benchmark problem in process control. The current control strategies can be categorized into two aspects: one branch resorts to model-based design and the other to data-driven design. To merge the merits and overcome the deficiencies of each paradigm, this paper proposes a hybrid data-driven and model-assisted control strategy, namely modified active disturbance rejection control (MADRC). The model information regarding water dynamics is incorporated into an extended state observer (ESO), which is used to estimate and mitigate the limitations of slow dynamics, strong nonlinearity, and various disturbances by analyzing the real-time data. The tuning formula is given in terms of the desired closed-loop performance. It is shown that MADRC is able to produce a satisfactory control performance while maintaining a low sensitivity to the measurement noise under general parametric setting conditions. The simulation results verify the clear superiority of MADRC over the proportional-integral (PI) controller and the conventional ADRC, and the results also evidence its noise reduction effects. The experimental results agree well with the simulation results based on a water tank setup. The proposed MADRC approach is able to improve the control performance while reducing the actuator fluctuation. The results presented in this paper offer a promising methodology for the water control loops widely used in the water industry.

One of the effects of industrial development in plantation is the development in shipping and trade. Before the existence of plantations in East Sumatera, shipping and trade in Medan were centered at Labuhan Deli, as a river seaport. Periodically, shipping and trade activities at Labuhan Deli were in export and import from and to Malaya Peninsula (Penang and Malacca) and Singapore. The growth of plantations, of course, needed effective and efficient transportation. After the economy grew and was developed, Labuhan Deli as a river seaport was considered not effective and efficient anymore since ships with large cargoes could not sail on the river. Therefore, the Netherlands East Indies Government made a policy to build a new seaport which was located by the seaside in order to make loading and unloading goods easier. The Netherlands East Indies Government finally selected Belawan to be a new seaport for Medan. The research problems were as follows: how was the existence of Labuhan Deli by the policy of the Netherlands East Indies Government in moving the seaport to Belawan and what was the reason? How were the shipping and trade in Belawan seaport? These questions would be discussed in this research by using archives as the source and several writings published in Medan during the Dutch colonial period. The objective of the research was to describe the economic condition of the plantations which could change various aspects, specifically in shipping and trade. The research used historical research method which largely used archives from the Dutch colonial period, especially the statistics of shipping and trade, and the reports from BOW (Public Works Agency).

The article analyzes and presents the problems of the issues and features of state regulation of investments in the recreational and tourist nature of the seaside regions, defining their theoretical and applied aspects is an actual scientific topic for finding ways of economic growth, competitiveness of the country, improving the quality of life and improving the population, preserving a rich natural resource potential. The necessity of further researches and realization of the real bases of formation of the system of the state regulation of investments in the recreational and tourist nature use from the standpoint of sustainable tourism and recreation is substantiated. Therefore, state regulation of investments requires the inclusion of direct methods of influencing state-owned objects through projects, budgets and programs, and, on the other hand, creating attractive conditions for attracting investments, their effective use, creating a favorable investment climate for sustainable development and conservation and protection , the use of natural recreational and tourist resources. It is proposed to develop the conceptual bases of state regulation of investment in recreation and tourism environmental management based on the ideas and principles of sustainable development refers to a system of modern ideas, the leading idea which defines a single, overall plan effective use of natural resources, tourism and recreation and environmental and recreational areas. Therefore, in our understanding of the basic components of the theoretical principles of state regulation of investment in recreation and tourism wildlife is a description of the purpose, principles, conditions and basic directions, which contain a combination of methods, forms and instruments of influence on the investment development of recreation and tourism of nature using and adapting foreign experience.

Introduction. Geographical location of natural resources is a determinant of localization of tourism. Based on the results of the research conducted, the article studies the theoretical and practical aspects of transformation of natural resources into a factor in production and consumption of a tourist product, as well as those of formation of directions for the flow of tourists. Materials and Methods. Materials of surveys of potential tourists conducted by independent research firms, Russian and foreign scientific publications and expert assessments, as well as the results of research carried out by the author of the article were used as the information base of the study. To assess the role and place of natural resources in the production and consumption of a tourist product, content analysis, as well as structural and functional analysis were employed. Using the methods of logical interpretation, statistical data processing, tabular and graphical methods, a scheme of transformation of natural resources into a factor in production and consumption of a tourist product has been devised and the degree of consumer preference for a tourist destination has been identified. Results. The study has identified problematic aspects of the use of natural resources in tourism, one of which is the underestimation of such resources as a basic factor in production and consumption of a tourist product, which negatively affects the level of economic feasibility of tourism development programs. The role of natural resources in formation of tourist needs and directions of the flow of tourists has been revealed. Conclusions have been drawn about the growing need for tourism with the predominance of the natural component of the tourist product and about the gradual formation of preconditions for local manifestations of overtourism and tourism phobia, in particular in the resorts in the South of Russia. The author has formulated proposals aimed at improving the economic feasibility of domestic tourism development programs. Discussion and Conclusion. Availability of natural resources is the primary basic condition for production and consumption of a tourist product. Significant costs for their transformation into tourist goods increase the requirements for the level of reasonableness of managerial decisions. The research results can be applied in strategic and medium-term planning of the development of domestic tourism in Russian regions on the basis of their natural potential.

The article examines the transformation of the model «homo economicus», which underlies the modern science of service. This model is considered as a theoretical design that allows explaining the nature of human needs. The Foundation model was the concept of classical political economy, represented in the works of A. Smith and D. Ricardo. There are also the disadvantages of this model applied to the study of contemporary culture and the needs of modern man. The author focuses on the concept of personality in modern psychological science, which can be defined as a multi-potential person or a man-scanner. In this regard, the author resorts to the concept of a man-scanner in the works of famous American coach-trainer B. Sher. The author studies the prospects of us- ing this model in modern culture, and also with regard to the typology of needs according to Maslow. It’s shown the relationship of this model with the needs of modern man and his value orientations. On the basis of it there are selected methodological recommendations for teaching of science of service at the University. In particular, there are noticed problematic topics in the teaching of modern science of service, and also shown the methodi- cal part – conduct lectures with students on the topic «Practical aspects of service.» It includes the purpose and objectives of lectures, educational technology, and questions for discussion. As necessary components of learning the science of service the author identifies practical orientation, as well as the existential needs of man in different situations. In this regard, the attention is paid not so much to economic as to philosophical component of the discipline «science of service».

This article represents current tendencies stemming from collapse in the price of oil, devaluation of the national currency, bilateral international sanctions after the accession of Crimea and events in Ukraine, the aggravation of political situation and closure of the main areas of outbound tourism, namely Turkey and Egypt. Such negative situation for the country in whole has some positive aspects of the impact on internal tourism development, especially in regions with favorable climatic conditions and developed material basis for the tourism industry. Primarily Kuban is among these regions. The region for decades has been asserting as a tourism and recreation complex with a unique specialization in sanatorium-and-spa treatment. It has great social and economic potential, developed infrastructure, natural conditions for the international specialization in tourism and for high-quality rest and treatment of Russian citizens. However, the analysis showed that advances in this direction are insufficient. Even with the favorable impact of external factors many development indicators of the region’s tourism industry in the pre-crisis time are lower than in 2005. The high cost of services that is beyond reach for many Russian citizens is one of the important obstacles for tourism development. Hotel services and usage of the sports infrastructure in Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana are more expensive than in foreign resorts, but are inferior in services, for example, to Austrian Innsbruck. The state regulation of the tourism industry, definition of the strategic objectives and development of mechanisms to achieve them are in need. Spontaneous development of the complex can cause damage and prevent to use region’s temporary factors and advantages in a difficult period for the country.

The aim is to analyze the development of the industry of accommodation of tourists in Rivne region in space and time. Method. The method of research of the industry of means of accommodation of tourists is used. The analysis of hotels by their number, capacity and number of beds; the number of specialized accommodation facilities for tourists and persons staying in institutions and the regional provision of farmsteads were revealed. The system-structural approach, method of generalization and abstraction, economic-static and graphic methods are applied. Regional statistics and reports of relevant agencies were processed. Results. The regional aspects of hotel development as a means of accommodation of tourists in Rivne region are studied, the number and capacity of establishments are estimated. As of 2017, there are 43 units in the region. Most hotels are concentrated within the city of Rivne and Rivne district. In the dynamics we observe an increase in the number of hotel establishments. In 2017, the capacity of hotels in the region decreased by 1.5 times, compared to 2010. We analyzed the health facilities of the region, which are undergoing significant transformations. The number of sanatoriums has decreased to 9 by 2015 and remains unchanged until now. This testifies to the crisis-stagnation phenomena in the sanatorium-resort sphere of the region. The number of people using the services of health resorts is decreasing. In the structure of the tourist accommodation industry an important place belongs to agro-villages. There were 60 rural estates in the region, which are considered as private accommodation for tourists. Most within the territories of Bereznivsky, Demydivsky and Zarichnensky districts, which are characterized by high natural resource potential. To increase the demand for accommodation for tourists in the region will help create a highly profitable tourism sector, able to produce and sell quality, competitive in the tourist market. Scientific novelty. The geographical and chronological aspects of the tourist accommodation industry of the studied region are revealed. Hotels and similar means of accommodation of tourists, specialized establishments as a part of sanatoria and camps of rest and a farmstead are systematically analyzed on an example of the Rivne area. Practical significance. The results of the work reveal the level and state of providing the Rivne region with accommodation facilities for tourists. Can be used in the preparation of regional socio-economic development programs. To be used in the development of possible recommendations for improving and justifying management decisions in the tourism industry on the example of regions.

The main objectives of this review are: 1) the compilation and updating of a reference database for Italian saproxylic beetles, useful to assess the trend of their populations and communities in the next decades; 2) the identification of the major threats involving the known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 3) the evaluation of the extinction risk for all known Italian species of saproxylic beetles; 4) the or- ganization of an expert network for studying and continuous updating of all known species of saproxylic beetle species in Italy; 5) the creation of a baseline for future evaluations of the trends in biodiversity conservation in Italy; 6) the assignment of ecological categories to all the Italian saproxylic beetles, useful for the aims of future researches on their communities and on forest environments. The assess- ments of extinction risk are based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and the most updated guidelines. The assessments have been carried out by experts covering different regions of Italy, and have been evaluated according to the IUCN standards. All the beetles whose larval biology is sufficiently well known as to be considered saproxylic have been included in the Red List, either the autochtho- nous species (native or possibly native to Italy) or a few allochthonous species recently introduced or probably introduced to Italy in his- toric times. The entire national range of each saproxylic beetle species was evaluated, including large and small islands; for most species, the main parameters considered for evaluation were the extent of their geographical occurrence in Italy, and the number of known sites of presence. 2049 saproxylic beetle species (belonging to 66 families) have been listed, assigned to a trophic category (Table 3) and 97% of them have been assessed. On the whole, threatened species (VU + EN + CR) are 421 (Fig. 6), corresponding to 21 % of the 1988 as- sessed species; only two species are formally recognized to be probably Regionally Extinct in Italy in recent times. Little less than 65% of the Italian saproxylic beetles are not currently threatened with extinction, although their populations are probably declining. In forest environments, the main threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution due to the use of pesticide against forest pests, and habitat simplification due to economic forest management. In coastal environments, the main threats are due to massive touristic exploitation such as the excess of urbanization and infrastructures along the seashore, and the complete removal of woody materials as tree trunks stranded on the beaches, because this kind of intervention is considered an aesthetic amelioration of seaside resorts. The number of spe- cies whose populations may become impoverished by direct harvest (only a few of large forest beetles frequently collected by insect traders) is very small and almost negligible. The Red List is a fundamental tool for the identification of conservation priorities, but it is not a list of priorities on its own. Other elements instrumental to priority setting include the cost of actions, the probability of success,and the proportion of the global population of each species living in Italy, which determines the national responsibility in the long-term conservation of that species. In this scenario, information on all species endemic to Italy, to Corso-Sardinia, to the Tuscan-Corsican ar- eas, and to the Siculo-Maltese insular system are given. A short analysis on relationships among beetle species traits, taxonomy, special- ist approaches, and IUCN Categories of Risk is also presented.

Ukraine, having lost its positive image as a country safe for traveling, faced the problem of its restoration. It is necessary to start from the own population, which instead of native regions of permanent residence preferring to have vacation on abroad resorts. Therefore, the search of innovative tools for the restoration of regional tourism is an urgent problem for most regions of Ukraine. The purpose of the research – definition of modern problems and systematization of relevant innovative tools for the development of regional tourism, taking into account the existing conditions for the functioning of the national tourism industry. The object of the research: theoretical and applied aspects concerning application of relative innovative tools for the development of tourism industry at the regional level. The methods of the research: systematic approach, structural-logical and statistical analysis, synthesis and generalization. The hypothesis of the research: envisages the use of the approach by which the development of tourism at the regional level should be fully harmonized with the overall strategy of the territory and state development strategy taking into account the needs of all stakeholders. The statement of basic materials. Overview of previous research and current trends of national tourism industry development in the context of certain territories and regions has allowed to identify six main problems and three groups of topical innovative tools for the development of regional tourism, among them: the introduction of the social dialogue concept and the formation of social partnership on its basis; branding of the area as an effective tool for managing the image of the territory; using technology "product placement" and IT innovations. The originality and practical significance of the research: the presented proposals are especially relevant for the old industrial regions and separated depressed territories, for which the development of the tourism industry on the basis of its own tourist flows will overcome the systemic socio-economic crisis. Conclusions. The proposed innovative tourism development tools at the regional level are not absolute innovations for Ukraine, but their distribution should have a lasting character for all without exception areas, which will solve most of the identified problems.

Scientific article deals with the topic of wooden sacral architecture of Ukraine, which is the object of cultural tourism. The study of tourist resources, including cultural and historical ones, has a significant theoretical background among Ukrainian and foreign scholars. This topic is related to the study of architecture, peculiarities of construction of wooden structures, their spread in the territory of Ukraine and Ukrainian ethnic territories, which are beyond the limits of modern borders. Insights in the field of cultural heritage studies is very significant as well as the assessment of their uniqueness, geography of tourism, economic and social sciences that are related to the field of tourism. Definition of the cultural tourism, the concept of «heritage product» is related to the tourism marketing, as well as mechanisms of product management and ways of promoting cultural heritage sites for tourists attraction. This scientific article is based on the researches of experts, who study sacral architecture monuments, their classification, geography of distribution and regionalization, which are the basis for evaluating various aspects of buildings appearance. It is important to develop cultural tourism in regions, where tourist activity is in low condition. In the territory of Ukraine, there are objects of wooden church architecture that are included to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These structures are located on the territory of Ukraine and Poland. Objects of wooden sacral architecture are mainly located on the Carpathian foothills, Galicia and Polissia territory. The smallest number of these structures you can find in the south, where wooden architecture is predominantly located in the remote areas and belong to the Podilska and Naddnipryanska schools of temple building. There are some differences between the geography of extension of the objects of wooden temple building and index of domestic tourism for leisure and recreation purposes. Thus, objects of wooden architecture as sites of cultural tourism are concentrated in the western and in the northern regions of Ukraine, while the biggest amount of domestic tourists prevails in Kiev city, as well as in Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Odesa region. The main activity on the Black Sea coast is recreation, medical and wellness tourism, or medical tourism on the resorts of the South. However, areas of the north of Odesa and Kherson regions, remain presidial. Combining tours to the north of Odesa region and rest on the banks of the Southern Bug River with active types of tourism and recreation will be promising thing. Lack of marketing activities is a significant impediment for promotion of the cultural tourism product in southern Ukraine. Also, the question of upgrading the infrastructure for tourism needs: transport system, hospitality facilities, remains unsolved. This region is perspective for the development of peripheral and rural areas and is a driver of economic growth.

The article reports on work reviewing research into cross-border tourism space as this relates to sea areas. In essence, the review made it clear that the matter in question only appears in the literature rather rarely, even as its underpinning concepts involving tourism space, borders, cross-border cooperation and international integration have been the subject of many studies. The Baltic Sea is no longer an area of separation, having become – more than ever – a meeting point of numerous political, economic and ecological interests. Within its basin (including adjacent areas of land and waters), cross-border tourism space is developing mainly as connections are formed between already-existing tourism space within given states – primarily coastal cities or regions. Connections via the sea confer physical shape upon maritime tourism space, by way of a banded pattern. In turn, cooperation between entities located on two (or more) sides of the maritime border plays a significant role in delimiting the boundaries of cross-border tourism space associated with sea areas, while also serving in the integration process relating to that space, which is actually more extensive than just the interconnected cross-border sea and the coastal spaces, given that cooperating entities may be located even beyond. The author argues that space in which the authorities, institutions and residents of two or more neighbouring countries make contact with each other by way of tourism as conceived broadly can be designated cross-border tourism space. If it is countries separated by a maritime border that are connected, then it is possible to speak of a cross-border tourism space linked to marine areas. The physical flow of tourists by ship that characterises the space in question (as tourist flows occur) provides further strengthening of the idea that such space is capable of being designated. This research forms part of work on aspects of border management and the development of cross-border management (by which a common, cross-border space, in this case for tourism, is developed). The author also posits the existence of cognitive tourism in relation to coastal areas: in cities (urban systems in coastal districts, ports, historic parts of cities, spas), and along the natural shoreline (visits made to coast, shore, dunes and cliffs). The work is then brought to a close with suggestions for further research on the topic, as based on an integrated approach embracing attractiveness, infrastructure and tourism flows, accessibility, the analysis of strategic and planning documents related to the development of tourism, tourism management, territorial marketing, regional identity, the creation of regional tourist products, cross-border cooperation relating to the development of tourism and the relevant impact of cooperation of this kind.

The article substantiates the need to create tourist information centers in Ukraine as one of the important tools of information support for the development of modern tourism and the promotion of a national tourism product. The success of the tourism industry in Ukraine in the context of the formation of a global information space is largely determined by the effectiveness of information support for the tourism sector. It is noted that an important task of the policy of local authorities in tourism management is to improve the information support of this process, since without advertising and information that attracts consumers of certain services, the development of tourist and recreational activities is impossible. The activity of the TIC is extremely important for destinations with a significant share of independent tourists, because, in this case, they are the main centers for the provision of information services. The essence of the concept of “tourist information center” is revealed and its main tasks are defined. It was noted that the tourist information center is an important tool of the tourist infrastructure, with the help of which tourists and other tourism entities have the opportunity to receive complete tourist information and advisory services on tourism activities in the area and beyond. The TIC can provide information support to the system of state regulation and tourism management in the region, since it is necessary to constantly update the regulatory and informational and analytical framework that provides effective management of the development of tourism and resorts. The following goals of creating tourist information centers in Ukraine are proposed: promoting the development of domestic tourism; providing information to local and foreign tourists and tourist organizations; promoting cooperation between tourism organizations of the city; conducting trainings and seminars for specialists in the field of tourism; development of tourist opportunities of the city; attracting more tourists to the area; improving the competitive advantages of the area by improving the tourism infrastructure; replenishment of the local budget due to taxation of tourism business entities; rational use of tourist and recreational resources of the area; attracting investment in the tourism business; creating a positive international image and popularizing tourist areas. The world experience of organizational and economic aspects of the activity of tourist information centers is investigated. In the developed tourist countries of the world, an extensive modern network of tourist infrastructure institutions, which includes information centers, is successfully operating. Such establishments allow tourists to receive the necessary tourist information and advisory services on tourist destinations. In the USA, each state has its own tourist information centers. The “Hospitality Center” is a recreation area, including a center for visitors, they are funded by local taxes included in each bed. In South America, the most active tourist information centers operate in Peru. Free centers provide tourist information and assistance for domestic and foreign tourists. Information includes monuments and recommended itineraries. In Australia, most visitor centers are run by local or state authorities, and in some cases by the Tourism Operators Association on behalf of the government. These information centers provide services such as housing selection and booking tours (automobile, air, bus, rail). They are the first link in acquaintance of a visitor with a city or region. The practice of the work of tourist information centers in Ukraine is considered and a list of them is compiled. It is noted that today tourist information centers have been created in most regions of Ukraine and in small cities of the Western region of Ukraine. Keywords tourist information center, world experience, domestic practice, creation goals, objectives, activity results.

AbstractAgainst the background of the economic effects of tourism in developing countries and the positive effects that informal sector micro-enterprises (ISME) can have on alleviating poverty, this paper discusses the situation of mass package tourism destinations based on a case study from The Gambia. This explorative study discusses the position of ISME from two perspectives: the access to the market with the development and spatial distribution of ISME in the context of the life-cycle of tourism resorts and on the other side focuses on the tourists themselves and their demands, decision-making and behavior, as well as the factors that influence them. Results suggest that there is a market for ISME at mass tourism destinations alongside the formal sector. A survey of the existing situation and indications from interviews with tourists suggest the need for a discussion of an additional phase in the model of the spatial distribution of the informal and formal sectors in seaside resorts, based on Vorlaufers’s concept of the life-cycle of tourism resorts.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the casino development and regulation in Macau and Singapore. The paper also seeks to assess the potential for casino development in Asia, with a particular focus on the prospects of Japan's casino resorts.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the gaming history, gaming/tourism policies and casino regulations of Macau and Singapore. The key aspects concerned with the casino development in Asia are also examined.FindingsThe paper identifies the fundamentals that have contributed to the prosperity of casino resorts in Macau and Singapore, as well as highlights the potential and challenges for the casino developments in Japan and other Asian destinations.Research limitations/implicationsA number of legal and tourism-related factors are identified to be the determinants of casino development. However, more research is needed to examine the political, economic and socio-cultural factors associated with casino gaming.Practical implicationsThe paper, discussing the casino development and regulation in Macau and Singapore, provides practical implications for the design of gaming/tourism policy and casino control in Japan and other prospective gaming jurisdictions.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the growing body of literature on the gaming law and casino development in Asia and provides insights for policymakers contemplating the adoption of casinos as a strategic policy for tourism development and economic growth.

Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in the world. It has a positive effect on the economy of many countries, but it can also lead to negative impacts on local ecosystems. Informal environmental education through Citizen Science (CS) projects can be effective in increasing citizen environmental knowledge and awareness in the short-term. A change of awareness could bring to a behavioral change in the long-term, making tourism more sustainable. However, the long-term effects of participating in CS projects are still unknown. This is the first follow-up study concerning the effects of participating in a CS project on cognitive and psychological aspects at the basis of pro-environmental behavior. An environmental education program was developed, between 2012 and 2013, in a resort in Marsa Alam, Egypt. The study directly evaluated, through paper questionnaires, the short-term (after 1 week or 10 days) retention of knowledge and awareness of volunteers that had participated in the activities proposed by the program. After three years, participants were re-contacted via email to fill in the same questionnaire as in the short-term study, plus a new section with psychological variables. 40.5% of the re-contacted participants completed the follow-up questionnaires with a final sample size of fifty-five people for this study. Notwithstanding the limited sample size, positive trends in volunteer awareness, personal satisfaction regarding the CS project, and motivation to engage in pro-environmental behavior in the long-term were observed.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the conditions for the formation of an architectural image in especially valuable nature reserves, such as Skadar Lake Natipnal Park, in Montenegro. Architectural clusters are becoming relevant due to the possibility of creating dynamic and multifunctional spaces. The author classifies the features that create a special environment for the development of architectural clusters. The analysis of climatic, geographical and historical conditions justifies the thesis about the need for a special approach based on sustainable development in the planning and construction of architectural clusters. The literature on the topic of energy-efficient buildings, the development of resorts, as well as environmental and social aspects of their development are analyzed. Designing architectural clusters is possible taking into account climatic conditions and the existing cultural and historical environment based on the principles of sustainable development. Clusters as a spatial planning solution will emphasize natural resources and give direction to the development of tourism activities in the Skadar lake region. Using architectural means such as clusters, it is possible to create a harmonious connection between nature and man, without disturbing the natural balance. Design taking into account environmental and economic factors has a direct impact on the future development of society and the entire Skadar Lake region. The choice of building materials for the construction of clusters in the Skadar Lake region, the methods of movement between the clusters, the processing of waste in the cluster zone and the use of alternative energy sources will form the basis for sustainable development. Existing buildings indicate what construction materials were used, so new buildings should be a continuation of traditional principles using modern technologies.

The term “coffee palace” was primarily used in Australia to describe the temperance hotels that were built in the last decades of the 19th century, although there are references to the term also being used to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom (Denby 174). Built in response to the worldwide temperance movement, which reached its pinnacle in the 1880s in Australia, coffee palaces were hotels that did not serve alcohol. This was a unique time in Australia’s architectural development as the economic boom fuelled by the gold rush in the 1850s, and the demand for ostentatious display that gathered momentum during the following years, afforded the use of richly ornamental High Victorian architecture and resulted in very majestic structures; hence the term “palace” (Freeland 121). The often multi-storied coffee palaces were found in every capital city as well as regional areas such as Geelong and Broken Hill, and locales as remote as Maria Island on the east coast of Tasmania. Presented as upholding family values and discouraging drunkenness, the coffee palaces were most popular in seaside resorts such as Barwon Heads in Victoria, where they catered to families. Coffee palaces were also constructed on a grand scale to provide accommodation for international and interstate visitors attending the international exhibitions held in Sydney (1879) and Melbourne (1880 and 1888). While the temperance movement lasted well over 100 years, the life of coffee palaces was relatively short-lived. Nevertheless, coffee palaces were very much part of Australia’s cultural landscape. In this article, I examine the rise and demise of coffee palaces associated with the temperance movement and argue that coffee palaces established in the name of abstinence were modelled on the coffee houses that spread throughout Europe and North America in the 17th and 18th centuries during the Enlightenment—a time when the human mind could be said to have been liberated from inebriation and the dogmatic state of ignorance. The Temperance Movement At a time when newspapers are full of lurid stories about binge-drinking and the alleged ill-effects of the liberalisation of licensing laws, as well as concerns over the growing trend of marketing easy-to-drink products (such as the so-called “alcopops”) to teenagers, it is difficult to think of a period when the total suppression of the alcohol trade was seriously debated in Australia. The cause of temperance has almost completely vanished from view, yet for well over a century—from 1830 to the outbreak of the Second World War—the control or even total abolition of the liquor trade was a major political issue—one that split the country, brought thousands onto the streets in demonstrations, and influenced the outcome of elections. Between 1911 and 1925 referenda to either limit or prohibit the sale of alcohol were held in most States. While moves to bring about abolition failed, Fitzgerald notes that almost one in three Australian voters expressed their support for prohibition of alcohol in their State (145). Today, the temperance movement’s platform has largely been forgotten, killed off by the practical example of the United States, where prohibition of the legal sale of alcohol served only to hand control of the liquor traffic to organised crime. Coffee Houses and the Enlightenment Although tea has long been considered the beverage of sobriety, it was coffee that came to be regarded as the very antithesis of alcohol. When the first coffee house opened in London in the early 1650s, customers were bewildered by this strange new drink from the Middle East—hot, bitter, and black as soot. But those who tried coffee were, reports Ellis, soon won over, and coffee houses were opened across London, Oxford, and Cambridge and, in the following decades, Europe and North America. Tea, equally exotic, entered the English market slightly later than coffee (in 1664), but was more expensive and remained a rarity long after coffee had become ubiquitous in London (Ellis 123-24). The impact of the introduction of coffee into Europe during the seventeenth century was particularly noticeable since the most common beverages of the time, even at breakfast, were weak “small beer” and wine. Both were safer to drink than water, which was liable to be contaminated. Coffee, like beer, was made using boiled water and, therefore, provided a new and safe alternative to alcoholic drinks. There was also the added benefit that those who drank coffee instead of alcohol began the day alert rather than mildly inebriated (Standage 135). It was also thought that coffee had a stimulating effect upon the “nervous system,” so much so that the French called coffee une boisson intellectuelle (an intellectual beverage), because of its stimulating effect on the brain (Muskett 71). In Oxford, the British called their coffee houses “penny universities,” a penny then being the price of a cup of coffee (Standage 158). Coffee houses were, moreover, more than places that sold coffee. Unlike other institutions of the period, rank and birth had no place (Ellis 59). The coffee house became the centre of urban life, creating a distinctive social culture by treating all customers as equals. Egalitarianism, however, did not extend to women—at least not in London. Around its egalitarian (but male) tables, merchants discussed and conducted business, writers and poets held discussions, scientists demonstrated experiments, and philosophers deliberated ideas and reforms. For the price of a cup (or “dish” as it was then known) of coffee, a man could read the latest pamphlets and newsletters, chat with other patrons, strike business deals, keep up with the latest political gossip, find out what other people thought of a new book, or take part in literary or philosophical discussions. Like today’s Internet, Twitter, and Facebook, Europe’s coffee houses functioned as an information network where ideas circulated and spread from coffee house to coffee house. In this way, drinking coffee in the coffee house became a metaphor for people getting together to share ideas in a sober environment, a concept that remains today. According to Standage, this information network fuelled the Enlightenment (133), prompting an explosion of creativity. Coffee houses provided an entirely new environment for political, financial, scientific, and literary change, as people gathered, discussed, and debated issues within their walls. Entrepreneurs and scientists teamed up to form companies to exploit new inventions and discoveries in manufacturing and mining, paving the way for the Industrial Revolution (Standage 163). The stock market and insurance companies also had their birth in the coffee house. As a result, coffee was seen to be the epitome of modernity and progress and, as such, was the ideal beverage for the Age of Reason. By the 19th century, however, the era of coffee houses had passed. Most of them had evolved into exclusive men’s clubs, each geared towards a certain segment of society. Tea was now more affordable and fashionable, and teahouses, which drew clientele from both sexes, began to grow in popularity. Tea, however, had always been Australia’s most popular non-alcoholic drink. Tea (and coffee) along with other alien plants had been part of the cargo unloaded onto Australian shores with the First Fleet in 1788. Coffee, mainly from Brazil and Jamaica, remained a constant import but was taxed more heavily than tea and was, therefore, more expensive. Furthermore, tea was much easier to make than coffee. To brew tea, all that is needed is to add boiling water, coffee, in contrast, required roasting, grinding and brewing. According to Symons, until the 1930s, Australians were the largest consumers of tea in the world (19). In spite of this, and as coffee, since its introduction into Europe, was regarded as the antidote to alcohol, the temperance movement established coffee palaces. In the early 1870s in Britain, the temperance movement had revived the coffee house to provide an alternative to the gin taverns that were so attractive to the working classes of the Industrial Age (Clarke 5). Unlike the earlier coffee house, this revived incarnation provided accommodation and was open to men, women and children. “Cheap and wholesome food,” was available as well as reading rooms supplied with newspapers and periodicals, and games and smoking rooms (Clarke 20). In Australia, coffee palaces did not seek the working classes, as clientele: at least in the cities they were largely for the nouveau riche. Coffee Palaces The discovery of gold in 1851 changed the direction of the Australian economy. An investment boom followed, with an influx of foreign funds and English banks lending freely to colonial speculators. By the 1880s, the manufacturing and construction sectors of the economy boomed and land prices were highly inflated. Governments shared in the wealth and ploughed money into urban infrastructure, particularly railways. Spurred on by these positive economic conditions and the newly extended inter-colonial rail network, international exhibitions were held in both Sydney and Melbourne. To celebrate modern technology and design in an industrial age, international exhibitions were phenomena that had spread throughout Europe and much of the world from the mid-19th century. According to Davison, exhibitions were “integral to the culture of nineteenth century industrialising societies” (158). In particular, these exhibitions provided the colonies with an opportunity to demonstrate to the world their economic power and achievements in the sciences, the arts and education, as well as to promote their commerce and industry. Massive purpose-built buildings were constructed to house the exhibition halls. In Sydney, the Garden Palace was erected in the Botanic Gardens for the 1879 Exhibition (it burnt down in 1882). In Melbourne, the Royal Exhibition Building, now a World Heritage site, was built in the Carlton Gardens for the 1880 Exhibition and extended for the 1888 Centennial Exhibition. Accommodation was required for the some one million interstate and international visitors who were to pass through the gates of the Garden Palace in Sydney. To meet this need, the temperance movement, keen to provide alternative accommodation to licensed hotels, backed the establishment of Sydney’s coffee palaces. The Sydney Coffee Palace Hotel Company was formed in 1878 to operate and manage a number of coffee palaces constructed during the 1870s. These were designed to compete with hotels by “offering all the ordinary advantages of those establishments without the allurements of the drink” (Murdoch). Coffee palaces were much more than ordinary hotels—they were often multi-purpose or mixed-use buildings that included a large number of rooms for accommodation as well as ballrooms and other leisure facilities to attract people away from pubs. As the Australian Town and Country Journal reveals, their services included the supply of affordable, wholesome food, either in the form of regular meals or occasional refreshments, cooked in kitchens fitted with the latest in culinary accoutrements. These “culinary temples” also provided smoking rooms, chess and billiard rooms, and rooms where people could read books, periodicals and all the local and national papers for free (121). Similar to the coffee houses of the Enlightenment, the coffee palaces brought businessmen, artists, writers, engineers, and scientists attending the exhibitions together to eat and drink (non-alcoholic), socialise and conduct business. The Johnson’s Temperance Coffee Palace located in York Street in Sydney produced a practical guide for potential investors and businessmen titled International Exhibition Visitors Pocket Guide to Sydney. It included information on the location of government departments, educational institutions, hospitals, charitable organisations, and embassies, as well as a list of the tariffs on goods from food to opium (1–17). Women, particularly the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) were a formidable force in the temperance movement (intemperance was generally regarded as a male problem and, more specifically, a husband problem). Murdoch argues, however, that much of the success of the push to establish coffee palaces was due to male politicians with business interests, such as the one-time Victorian premiere James Munro. Considered a stern, moral church-going leader, Munro expanded the temperance movement into a fanatical force with extraordinary power, which is perhaps why the temperance movement had its greatest following in Victoria (Murdoch). Several prestigious hotels were constructed to provide accommodation for visitors to the international exhibitions in Melbourne. Munro was responsible for building many of the city’s coffee palaces, including the Victoria (1880) and the Federal Coffee Palace (1888) in Collins Street. After establishing the Grand Coffee Palace Company, Munro took over the Grand Hotel (now the Windsor) in 1886. Munro expanded the hotel to accommodate some of the two million visitors who were to attend the Centenary Exhibition, renamed it the Grand Coffee Palace, and ceremoniously burnt its liquor licence at the official opening (Murdoch). By 1888 there were more than 50 coffee palaces in the city of Melbourne alone and Munro held thousands of shares in coffee palaces, including those in Geelong and Broken Hill. With its opening planned to commemorate the centenary of the founding of Australia and the 1888 International Exhibition, the construction of the Federal Coffee Palace, one of the largest hotels in Australia, was perhaps the greatest monument to the temperance movement. Designed in the French Renaissance style, the façade was embellished with statues, griffins and Venus in a chariot drawn by four seahorses. The building was crowned with an iron-framed domed tower. New passenger elevators—first demonstrated at the Sydney Exhibition—allowed the building to soar to seven storeys. According to the Federal Coffee Palace Visitor’s Guide, which was presented to every visitor, there were three lifts for passengers and others for luggage. Bedrooms were located on the top five floors, while the stately ground and first floors contained majestic dining, lounge, sitting, smoking, writing, and billiard rooms. There were electric service bells, gaslights, and kitchens “fitted with the most approved inventions for aiding proficients [sic] in the culinary arts,” while the luxury brand Pears soap was used in the lavatories and bathrooms (16–17). In 1891, a spectacular financial crash brought the economic boom to an abrupt end. The British economy was in crisis and to meet the predicament, English banks withdrew their funds in Australia. There was a wholesale collapse of building companies, mortgage banks and other financial institutions during 1891 and 1892 and much of the banking system was halted during 1893 (Attard). Meanwhile, however, while the eastern States were in the economic doldrums, gold was discovered in 1892 at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia and, within two years, the west of the continent was transformed. As gold poured back to the capital city of Perth, the long dormant settlement hurriedly caught up and began to emulate the rest of Australia, including the construction of ornately detailed coffee palaces (Freeman 130). By 1904, Perth had 20 coffee palaces. When the No. 2 Coffee Palace opened in Pitt Street, Sydney, in 1880, the Australian Town and Country Journal reported that coffee palaces were “not only fashionable, but appear to have acquired a permanent footing in Sydney” (121). The coffee palace era, however, was relatively short-lived. Driven more by reformist and economic zeal than by good business sense, many were in financial trouble when the 1890’s Depression hit. Leading figures in the temperance movement were also involved in land speculation and building societies and when these schemes collapsed, many, including Munro, were financially ruined. Many of the palaces closed or were forced to apply for liquor licences in order to stay afloat. Others developed another life after the temperance movement’s influence waned and the coffee palace fad faded, and many were later demolished to make way for more modern buildings. The Federal was licensed in 1923 and traded as the Federal Hotel until its demolition in 1973. The Victoria, however, did not succumb to a liquor licence until 1967. The Sydney Coffee Palace in Woolloomooloo became the Sydney Eye Hospital and, more recently, smart apartments. Some fine examples still survive as reminders of Australia’s social and cultural heritage. The Windsor in Melbourne’s Spring Street and the Broken Hill Hotel, a massive three-story iconic pub in the outback now called simply “The Palace,” are some examples. Tea remained the beverage of choice in Australia until the 1950s when the lifting of government controls on the importation of coffee and the influence of American foodways coincided with the arrival of espresso-loving immigrants. As Australians were introduced to the espresso machine, the short black, the cappuccino, and the café latte and (reminiscent of the Enlightenment), the post-war malaise was shed in favour of the energy and vigour of modernist thought and creativity, fuelled in at least a small part by caffeine and the emergent café culture (Teffer). Although the temperance movement’s attempt to provide an alternative to the ubiquitous pubs failed, coffee has now outstripped the consumption of tea and today’s café culture ensures that wherever coffee is consumed, there is the possibility of a continuation of the Enlightenment’s lively discussions, exchange of news, and dissemination of ideas and information in a sober environment. References Attard, Bernard. “The Economic History of Australia from 1788: An Introduction.” EH.net Encyclopedia. 5 Feb. (2012) ‹http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/attard.australia›. Blainey, Anna. “The Prohibition and Total Abstinence Movement in Australia 1880–1910.” Food, Power and Community: Essays in the History of Food and Drink. Ed. Robert Dare. Adelaide: Wakefield Press, 1999. 142–52. Boyce, Francis Bertie. “Shall I Vote for No License?” An address delivered at the Convention of the Parramatta Branch of New South Wales Alliance, 3 September 1906. 3rd ed. Parramatta: New South Wales Alliance, 1907. Clarke, James Freeman. Coffee Houses and Coffee Palaces in England. Boston: George H. Ellis, 1882. “Coffee Palace, No. 2.” Australian Town and Country Journal. 17 Jul. 1880: 121. Davison, Graeme. “Festivals of Nationhood: The International Exhibitions.” Australian Cultural History. Eds. S. L. Goldberg and F. B. Smith. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1989. 158–77. Denby, Elaine. Grand Hotels: Reality and Illusion. London: Reaktion Books, 2002. Ellis, Markman. The Coffee House: A Cultural History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004. Federal Coffee Palace. The Federal Coffee Palace Visitors’ Guide to Melbourne, Its Suburbs, and Other Parts of the Colony of Victoria: Views of the Principal Public and Commercial Buildings in Melbourne, With a Bird’s Eye View of the City; and History of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1880, etc. Melbourne: Federal Coffee House Company, 1888. Fitzgerald, Ross, and Trevor Jordan. Under the Influence: A History of Alcohol in Australia. Sydney: Harper Collins, 2009. Freeland, John. The Australian Pub. Melbourne: Sun Books, 1977. Johnson’s Temperance Coffee Palace. International Exhibition Visitors Pocket Guide to Sydney, Restaurant and Temperance Hotel. Sydney: Johnson’s Temperance Coffee Palace, 1879. Mitchell, Ann M. “Munro, James (1832–1908).” Australian Dictionary of Biography. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National U, 2006-12. 5 Feb. 2012 ‹http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/munro-james-4271/text6905›. Murdoch, Sally. “Coffee Palaces.” Encyclopaedia of Melbourne. Eds. Andrew Brown-May and Shurlee Swain. 5 Feb. 2012 ‹http://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00371b.htm›. Muskett, Philip E. The Art of Living in Australia. New South Wales: Kangaroo Press, 1987. Standage, Tom. A History of the World in 6 Glasses. New York: Walker & Company, 2005. Sydney Coffee Palace Hotel Company Limited. Memorandum of Association of the Sydney Coffee Palace Hotel Company, Ltd. Sydney: Samuel Edward Lees, 1879. Symons, Michael. One Continuous Picnic: A Gastronomic History of Australia. Melbourne: Melbourne UP, 2007. Teffer, Nicola. Coffee Customs. Exhibition Catalogue. Sydney: Customs House, 2005.

In a recent gaming anthology, Henry Jenkins cannot help contrasting his son's cramped, urban, media-saturated existence with his own idyllic, semi-rural childhood. After describing his own Huck Finn meanderings over "the spaces of my boyhood" including the imaginary kingdoms of Jungleoca and Freedonia, Jenkins relates his version of his son's experiences: My son, Henry, now 16 has never had a backyard He has grown up in various apartment complexes, surrounded by asphalt parking lots with, perhaps, a small grass buffer from the street… Once or twice, when I became exasperated by my son's constant presence around the house I would … tell him he should go out and play. He would look at me with confusion and ask, where? … Who wouldn't want to trade in the confinement of your room for the immersion promised by today's video games? … Perhaps my son finds in his video games what I found in the woods behind the school, on my bike whizzing down the hills of suburban backstreets, or settled into my treehouse with a good adventure novel intensity of experience, escape from adult regulation; in short, "complete freedom of movement". (Jenkins 1998, 263-265) Games here are connected with a shrinking availability of domestic and public space, and a highly mediated experience of the world. Despite his best intentions, creeping into Jenkins's piece is a sense that games act as a poor substitute for the natural spaces of a "healthy" childhood. Although "Video games did not make backyard play spaces disappear", they "offer children some way to respond to domestic confinement" (Jenkins 1998, 266). They emerge, then, as a palliation for the claustrophobic circumstances of contemporary urban life, though they offer only unreal spaces, replete with "lakes of fire … cities in the clouds … [and] dazzling neon-lit Asian marketplaces" (Jenkins 1998, 263), where the work of the childish imagination is already done. Despite Jenkins's assertion that games do offer "complete freedom of movement", it is hard to shake the feeling that he considers his own childhood far richer in exploratory and imaginative opportunities: Let me be clear I am not arguing that video games are as good for kids as the physical spaces of backyard play culture. As a father, I wish that my son would come home covered in mud or with scraped knees rather than carpet burns ... The psychological and social functions of playing outside are as significant as the impact of "sunshine and good exercise" upon our physical well-being. (Jenkins 1998, 266) Throughout the piece, games are framed by a romantic, anti-urban discourse: the expanding city is imagined as engulfing space and perhaps destroying childhood itself, such that "'sacred' places are now occupied by concrete, bricks or asphalt" (Jenkins 1998, 263). Games are complicit in this alienation of space and experience. If this is not quite Paul Virilio's recent dour contention that modern mass media forms work mainly to immobilise the body of the consumer--Virilio, luckily, has managed to escape the body-snatchers--games here are produced as a feeble response to an already-effected urban imprisonment of the young. Strikingly, Jenkins seems concerned about his son's "unhealthy" confinement to private, domestic space, and his inability to imaginatively possess a slice of the world outside. Jenkins's description of his son's confinement to the world of "carpet burns" rather than the great outdoors of "scraped knees" and "mud" implicitly leaves the distinction between domestic and public, internal and external, and even the imagined passivity of the domestic sphere as against the activity of the public intact. For those of us who see games as productive activities, which generate particular, unique kinds of pleasure in their own right, rather than as anaemic replacements for lost spaces, this seems to reduce a central cultural form. For those of us who have at least some sympathy with writers on the urban environment like Raban (1974) and Young (1990), who see the city's theatrical and erotic possibilities, Jenkins's fears might seem to erase the pleasures and opportunities that city life provides. Rather than seeing gamers and children (the two groups only partially overlap) as unwitting agents in their own confinement, we can arrive at a slightly more complex view of the relationship between games and urban space. By looking at the video games arcade as it is situated in urban retail space, we can see how gameplay simultaneously acts to regulate urban space, mediates a unique kind of urban performance, and allows sophisticated representations, manipulations and appropriations of differently conceived urban spaces. Despite being a long-standing feature of the urban and retail environment, and despite also being a key site for the "exhibition" of a by-now central media form, the video game arcade has a surprisingly small literature devoted to it. Its prehistory in pinball arcades and pachinko parlours has been noted (by, for example, Steven Poole 2000) but seldom deeply explored, and its relations with a wider urban space have been given no real attention at all. The arcade's complexity, both in terms of its positioning and functions, may contribute to this. The arcade is a space of conflicting, contradictory uses and tendencies, though this is precisely what makes it as important a space as the cinema or penny theatre before it. Let me explain why I think so. The arcade is always simultaneously a part of and apart from the retail centres to which it tends to attach itself.1 If it is part of a suburban shopping mall, it is often located on the ground floor near the entrance, or is semi-detached as cinema complexes often are, so that the player has to leave the mall's main building to get there, or never enter. If it is part of a city or high street shopping area, it is often in a side street or a street parallel to the main retail thoroughfare, or requires the player to mount a set of stairs into an off-street arcade. At other times the arcade is located in a space more strongly marked as liminal in relation to the city -- the seaside resort, sideshow alley or within the fences of a theme park. Despite this, the videogame arcade's interior is usually wholly or mostly visible from the street, arcade or thoroughfare that it faces, whether this visibility is effected by means of glass walls, a front window or a fully retractable sliding door. This slight distance from the mainstream of retail activity and the visibility of the arcade's interior are in part related to the economics of the arcade industry. Arcade machines involve relatively low margins -- witness the industry's recent feting and embrace of redemption (i.e. low-level gambling) games that offer slightly higher turnovers -- and are hungry for space. At the same time, arcades are dependent on street traffic, relentless technological novelty and their de facto use as gathering space to keep the coins rolling in. A balance must be found between affordability, access and visibility, hence their positioning at a slight remove from areas of high retail traffic. The story becomes more complicated, though, when we remember that arcades are heavily marked as deviant, disreputable spaces, whether in the media, government reports or in sociological and psychological literature. As a visible, public, urban space where young people are seen to mix with one another and unfamiliar and novel technologies, the arcade is bound to give rise to adult anxieties. As John Springhall (1998) puts it: More recent youth leisure… occupies visible public space, is seen as hedonistic and presents problems within the dominant discourse of 'enlightenment' … [T]he most popular forms of entertainment among the young at any given historical moment tend also to provide the focus of the most intense social concern. A new medium with mass appeal, and with a technology best understood by the young… almost invariably attracts a desire for adult or government control (160-161, emphasis mine) Where discourses of deviant youth have also been employed in extending the surveillance and policing of retail space, it is unsurprising that spaces seen as points for the concentration of such deviance will be forced away from the main retail thoroughfares, in the process effecting a particular kind of confinement, and opportunity for surveillance. Michel Foucault writes, in Discipline and Punish, about the classical age's refinements of methods for distributing and articulating bodies, and the replacement of spectacular punishment with the crafting of "docile bodies". Though historical circumstances have changed, we can see arcades as disciplinary spaces that reflect aspects of those that Foucault describes. The efficiency of arcade games in distributing bodies in rows, and side by side demonstrates that" even if the compartments it assigns become purely ideal, the disciplinary space is always, basically, cellular" (Foucault 1977, 143). The efficiency of games from Pong (Atari:1972) to Percussion Freaks (Konami: 1999) in articulating bodies in play, in demanding specific and often spectacular bodily movements and competencies means that "over the whole surface of contact between the body and the object it handles, power is introduced, fastening them to one another. It constitutes a body weapon, body-tool, body-machine complex" (Foucault 1977,153). What is extraordinary is the extent to which the articulation of bodies proceeds only through a direct engagement with the game. Pong's instructions famously read only "avoid missing ball for high score"--a whole economy of movement, arising from this effort, is condensed into six words. The distribution and articulation of bodies also entails a confinement in the space of the arcade, away from the main areas of retail trade, and renders occupants easily observable from the exterior. We can see that games keep kids off the streets. On the other hand, the same games mediate spectacular forms of urban performance and allow particular kinds of reoccupation of urban space. Games descended or spun off from Dance Dance Revolution (Konami: 1998) require players to dance, in time with thumping (if occasionally cheesy) techno, and in accordance with on-screen instructions, in more and more complex sequences on lit footpads. These games occupy a lot of space, and the newest instalment (DDR has just issued its "7th Mix") is often installed at the front of street level arcades. When played with flair, games such as these are apt to attract a crowd of onlookers to gather, not only inside, but also on the footpath outside. Indeed games such as these have given rise to websites like http://www.dancegames.com/au which tells fans not only when and where new games are arriving, but whether or not the positioning of arcades and games within them will enable a player to attract attention to their performance. This mediation of cyborg performance and display -- where success both achieves and exceeds perfect integration with a machine in urban space -- is particularly important to Asian-Australian youth subcultures, which are often marginalised in other forums for youthful display, like competitive sport. International dance gamer websites like Jason Ho's http://www.ddrstyle.com , which is emblazoned with the slogan "Asian Pride", explicitly make the connection between Asian youth subcultures and these new kinds of public performance. Games like those in the Time Crisis series, which may seem less innocuous, might be seen as effecting important inversions in the representation of urban space. Initially Time Crisis, which puts a gun in the player's hand and requires them to shoot at human figures on screen, might even be seen to live up to the dire claims made by figures like Dave Grossman that such games effectively train perpetrators of public violence (Grossman 1995). What we need to keep in mind, though, is that first, as "cops", players are asked to restore order to a representation of urban space, and second, that that they are reacting to images of criminality. When criminality and youth are so often closely linked in public discourse (not to mention criminality and Asian ethnicity) these games stage a reversal whereby the young player is responsible for performing a reordering of the unruly city. In a context where the ideology of privacy has progressively marked public space as risky and threatening,2 games like Time Crisis allow, within urban space, a performance aimed at the resolution of risk and danger in a representation of the urban which nevertheless involves and incorporates the material spaces that it is embedded in.This is a different kind of performance to DDR, involving different kinds of image and bodily attitude, that nevertheless articulates itself on the space of the arcade, a space which suddenly looks more complex and productive. The manifest complexity of the arcade as a site in relation to the urban environment -- both regulating space and allowing spectacular and sophisticated types of public performance -- means that we need to discard simplistic stories about games providing surrogate spaces. We reify game imagery wherever we see it as a space apart from the material spaces and bodies with which gaming is always involved. We also need to adopt a more complex attitude to urban space and its possibilities than any narrative of loss can encompass. The abandonment of such narratives will contribute to a position where we can recognise the difference between the older and younger Henrys' activities, and still see them as having a similar complexity and richness. With work and luck, we might also arrive at a material organisation of society where such differing spaces of play -- seen now by some as mutually exclusive -- are more easily available as choices for everyone. NOTES 1 Given the almost total absence of any spatial study of arcades, my observations here are based on my own experience of arcades in the urban environment. Many of my comments are derived from Brisbane, regional Queensland and urban-Australian arcades this is where I live but I have observed the same tendencies in many other urban environments. Even where the range of services and technologies in the arcades are different in Madrid and Lisbon they serve espresso and alcohol (!), in Saigon they often consist of a bank of TVs equipped with pirated PlayStation games which are hired by the hour their location (slightly to one side of major retail areas) and their openness to the street are maintained. 2 See Spigel, Lynn (2001) for an account of the effects and transformations of the ideology of privacy in relation to media forms. See Furedi, Frank (1997) and Douglas, Mary (1992) for accounts of the contemporary discourse of risk and its effects. References Douglas, M. (1992) Risk and Blame: Essays in Cultural Theory. London ; New York : Routledge. Foucault, M. (1979) Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Trans. Alan Sheridan. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin,. Furedi, F.(1997) Culture of Fear: Risk-taking and the Morality of Low Expectation. London ; Washington : Cassell. Grossman, D. (1995) On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. Boston: Little, Brown. Jenkins, H. (1998) Complete freedom of movement: video games as gendered play spaces. In Jenkins, Henry and Justine Cassell (eds) From Barbie to Mortal Kombat : Gender and Computer Games. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Poole, S. (2000) Trigger Happy: The Inner Life of Videogames. London: Fourth Estate. Raban, J. (1974) Soft City. London: Hamilton. Spigel, L. (2001) Welcome to the Dreamhouse: Popular Media and the Postwar Suburbs. Durham and London: Duke University Press. Springhall, J. (1998) Youth, Popular Culture and Moral Panics : Penny Gaffs to Gangsta-rap, 1830-1996. New York: St. Martin's Press. Young, I.M. (1990) Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Websites http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/s... (Time Crisis synopsis and shots) http://www.dancegames.com/au (Site for a network of fans revealing something about the culture around dancing games) http://www.ddrstyle.com (website of Jason Ho, who connects his dance game performances with pride in his Asian identity). http://www.pong-story.com (The story of Pong, the very first arcade game) Games Dance Dance Revolution, Konami: 1998. Percussion Freaks, Konami: 1999. Pong, Atari: 1972. Time Crisis, Namco: 1996. Links http://www.dancegames.com/au http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/arcade/ag1154.php http://www.pong-story.com http://www.ddrstyle.com Citation reference for this article MLA Style Wilson, Jason A.. "Performance, anxiety" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5.2 (2002). [your date of access] < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0205/performance.php>. Chicago Style Wilson, Jason A., "Performance, anxiety" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5, no. 2 (2002), < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0205/performance.php> ([your date of access]). APA Style Wilson, Jason A.. (2002) Performance, anxiety. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5(2). < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0205/performance.php> ([your date of access]).