call for papers

Special Issue on ‘Leisure, Tourism and Risk’

Guest editors: Dr Paolo Mura (Taylor’s University College Malaysia)
                         Dr Scott Cohen (Bournemouth University)

Call for papers

Perceived risk and safety are often regarded as factors that have the potential to influence leisure and tourism decisions. In particular, risk is referred to as a constraint to leisure and tourism participation, namely as a reason for not participating in a leisure activity or tourism experience. However, research work in the area of adventure tourism and high-risk leisure activities reveals that risk is actively sought by some individuals. Whilst a wide array of studies have been published that focus attention on risk, the motivations, behaviours and experiences of individuals who voluntarily seek and/or avoid high-risk activities and experiences in leisure and tourism environments remain relatively unexplored. Moreover, there exists a paucity of data concerning perceptions of risk within leisure and tourism environments and experiences in Africa, Asia and South America.

The limited quantity and variety of studies of risk within leisure and tourism contexts in Africa, Asia and South America stands at odds with a central position that risk often occupies both directly and indirectly within leisure and tourism experiences. Consequently, this special issue of ‘Recreation and Society in Africa, Asia & South America’ aims to provide a forum for expanding current understandings of the linkages between leisure, tourism and risk and the implications of these links for wider society.

The guest editors invite interested researchers to contribute theoretical and/or empirical papers related to the theme of this special issue. The topics of potential manuscripts include, but are not limited to:

·    The role of risk in the construction of leisure and tourism environments and experiences
·     The social and/or cultural construction of risk in leisure and tourism experiences
·     The relationship between risk and emotion (e.g. fear, anxiety, panic, thrill, happiness, etc.)
·     The role of risk in the construction of cultural, sub-cultural and personal identities
·     The role of risk in the construction and/or deconstruction of gendered identities
·     Risk and destination marketing in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Submission Guidelines
1. In the first instance authors are invited to submit a 400 - 500 word abstract for consideration for the special issue. Selected authors will then be asked to produce a full paper based on their abstract for potential publication subject to a favourable review process.
2. Electronic submissions should be sent by e-mail attachment to both
Paolo.Mura@taylors.edu.my and scohen@bournemouth.ac.uk
3. Ideally, abstracts and papers should be sent as Microsoft Word files.
4. Articles will be 5000-6000 words in length.
5. All submissions will be anonymously reviewed by two independent assessors.

Important Dates:
Abstract deadline: 30^th April 2010
Notification of acceptance of abstracts deadline: 17^th May 2010
Submission of first drafts: 31^st August 2010
Submission of full paper deadline: 5^th November 2010
Special issue publication: December 2010