TABLE OF CONTENTS 
How important are recreation, leisure and tourism to national economies?
Why do these industries provide so many new jobs?
What is the globalization of recreation and leisure?
Are recreation, leisure and tourism shares good investments?
Is the growth of recreation, leisure and tourism sustainable?
This book will help you investigate these issues. The objectives of this chapter are to define and integrate the areas of study of this book. First the scope of recreation, leisure and tourism will be discussed, and second the scope and techniques of economics will be outlined. The final part of the chapter explains how the study area of recreation, leisure and tourism can be analysed using economic techniques.
By studying this chapter students will be able to:
understand the scope of recreation, leisure and tourism and their interrelationship;
explain the basic economic concerns of scarcity, choice and opportunity costs;
outline the allocation of resources in different economic systems;
explain the methodology of economics;
understand the use of models in economics;
understand the use of economics to analyse issues in recreation, leisure and tourism;
access sources of information.
Like all definitions, those pertaining to recreation, leisure and tourism encounter some problems. For example, a common element in many definitions of leisure is that of free time. Thus working, sleeping and household chores are excluded. However, should we then include people who are sick or recovering from illness? Similarly, recreation is commonly applied...
