Marketing Recreation: Unique Characteristics of a Service Market Orientation

The marketing of recreation is unique and demands special consideration when compared with other products and services. Although general marketing theories and techniques seem to be appropriate, they tend to be more product oriented. Service marketing has far more relevance as a base concept to build upon to identify new marketing theories and techniques to accommodate this different subject matter area

Image Analysis of Fitness Agencies: Implications for Marketing Strategies

The fitness marketplace is becoming more competitive and agencies now are starting to more closely examine their image(s) which are held by target markets. This study examined the image of 10 fitness as held by one target market--the college-aged, student, fitness A familiarity-favorability analysis and index technique was developed and refined. Seven of ten agencies were found to have an image problem. Implications and strategies are discussed

Universal properties of the near-horizon optical geometry

We make use of the fact that the optical geometry near a static non-degenerate Killing horizon is asymptotically hyperbolic to investigate universal features of black hole physics. We show how the Gauss-Bonnet theorem allows certain lensing scenarios to be ruled in or out. We find rates for the loss of scalar, vector and fermionic `hair' as objects fall quasi- statically towards the horizon. In the process we find the Lienard-Wiechert potential for hyperbolic space and calculate the force between electrons mediated by neutrinos, extending the flat space result of Feinberg and Sucher. We use the enhanced conformal symmetry of the Schwarzschild and Reissner-Nordstrom backgrounds to re-derive the electrostatic field due to a point charge in a simple fashion

Updating State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans, an Application of Geographic Information Systems and Census Data

Abstract Modeling supply and demand data is useful for regional outdoor recreation planning. At the statewide level, State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans (SCORPs) are prepared to satisfy the requirements of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). In Massachusetts, the most recent SCORP was prepared in 2006. Two of the primary tasks were updating the recreation resource inventory statewide and developing an extensive GIS data base. For the demand side, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts utilized data collected in 1995 that focused on recreation site usage patterns, assessed satisfaction with outdoor recreation areas, and evaluated unmet needs. This paper presents an example of updating SCORPs using current demographic data (US Census) and geographic supply data (MassGIS)

Economic Impact and Significance: Additional Insights for Measurement in Special Events

Abstract Special events are an important component of the tourism industry, and they attract visitors to areas where they are hosted. These events have an economic impact and significance in the local host communities, since the visitors will spend money during their travel and visits to these destinations that bring benefits. While substantial effort has been made in the past to measure the economic impact of attractions and destinations, less time has been spent on adapting these measures for the measurement of periodic special events. The purpose of this study is to further examine and update the measurement concepts associated with assessing the economic impact and significance of three different special events. Specifically, this study examined and further the study of these economic impact measurements through the examination and application of EIS measurement techniques to three events in Western Massachusetts: Great New England Air Show, Volleyball Hall of Fame Events, and Westfield International Air Show

A Note on the Instability of Lorentzian Taub-NUT-Space

I show that there are no SU(2)-invariant (time-dependent) tensorial perturbations of Lorentzian Taub-NUT space. It follows that the spacetime is unstable at the linear level against generic perturbations. I speculate that this fact is responsible for so far unsuccessful attempts to define a sensible thermodynamics for NUT-charged spacetimes.Comment: 13 pages, no figure

National Park Service Visitation and Search Behavior: An Update to 2010

Abstract This purpose of this paper was to examine and update recent findings that proposes that national park visitation is on the decline and to propose other methods for examining the interest in national parks through online searches related to travel intentions. Data from a large, national syndicated secondary dataset were examined by individual participation data collected on an annual basis over the period of 2000-2010. In addition, inquiry data from Google Insights™ for vacation travel to national and state parks was also used as a proxy measure to determine if interest had declined. While there was evidence of some decline in visitation to national parks from 2000-2010, most of the decline was limited to the period of 2000-2004; however, there was also a rebound in interest from 2004 through 2010 with the exception of 2008. The decline does not appear to be dramatic. The decline is not related to a decrease in the market size of individuals interested in national parks but rather a volume issue. The volume issue suggests that the base market of people interested in national parks still exists, but the base market is making fewer visits per visitor to national parks. Additional insights into visitation based on media use (e.g., watching tv and internet use) based on volume segments were explored. There was some indication of decline of interest in visiting national parks during vacation travel through the analysis of Google Insights™ search behavior; however, this decline has been cyclical, not overly dramatic, and appears to reflect the changes in visitation noted here through the national syndicated dataset findings. Interest may also have shifted to other outdoor pursuits and interests via an increase in more choices. Interest in state parks appeared to also be seasonal; but no dramatic decline in the interest in state parks was noted based on Internet searches and Google Insights™ analysis

Propositions for Examining the Seasonality Construct in Tourism Settings

Propositions for Examining the Seasonality Construct in Tourism Settings Abstract The purpose of this conceptual study is to further develop our understanding of the seasonality construct as a predictor of tourist behavior. This study aims to explain and organize the tourism seasonality literature for a more thorough interpretation; examine how seasonality impacts consumer decision making focusing on the use of inbound and outbound marketing; and establish measurement tools that can help link seasonal destination consumer needs with actual behavior and internet search behavior. The contribution of this study is several thoroughly developed propositions to be used as a guide in further seasonality literature focusing on the measurement of the seasonality construct, specifically the tools to be utilized in seasonality empirical research; the types of seasonality as connected to traveler decision-making; the relationship between traveler search behavior, actual behavior, and seasonal changes; and the organization of seasonal terms in relation to seasonal activity

Simple generalizations of Anti-de Sitter space-time

We consider new cosmological solutions which generalize the cosmological patch of the Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space-time, allowing for fluids with equations of state such that $w\neq -1$. We use them to derive the associated full manifolds. We find that these solutions can all be embedded in flat five-dimensional space-time with $--+++$ signature, revealing deformed hyperboloids. The topology and causal-structure of these spaces is therefore unchanged, and closed time-like curves are identified, before a covering space is considered. However the structure of Killing vector fields is entirely different and so we may expect a different structure of Killing horizons in these solutions.Comment: 6 Pages, 5 Figures, Corrections and additions made for publication in Journal of Classical and Quantum Gravit