Most people live for their leisure, recreation and travel opportunities. Managing Environments for Leisure and Recreation seeks to bring together the different strands of thought that inform the management of settings, for leisure and recreation. The text shows how a positive difference can be made to such activities, by taking a balanced approach in managing for the environment and for people, both now, and into the future.

The text begins by examining the scope of leisure, recreation and tourism, including a brief historical survey and a discussion of the web of players involved. The book then looks at the benefits, the costs, the settings and the trends within leisure and recreation. It also looks at how we attach or measure value and examines some of the issues in environmental economics, and the need to consider value from different angles. The final part deals with management techniques, from preparing to manage, the research and planning, to actually managing for the environment (the physical and often natural setting) and managing for people (socio-economic setting). Managing Environments for Leisure and Recreation then explores possible future scenarios, and discusses what skills managers will need to deploy.

Managing Environments for Leisure and Recreation urges managers to balance the need for a systematic approach, with the need for a systemic development of an environmental management ethic. It is highly illustrated with over 50 line drawings and includes many case studies from around the world.