Conference themes		Keynote speakers
Environmental sustainability and the place of leisure and tourism	. . . the relationships between leisure, tourism and the environment and will encourage critiques of unsustainable leisure and tourism in addition to critical evaluations of sustainability initiatives.	TRICIA BARNETT Director of Tourism Concern JULIA THRIFT Director of CabeSpace
Social and cultural spaces of leisure and tourism	. . . the ways in which leisure and tourism, in addition to being social and cultural practices, play a role in creating and recreating social and cultural spaces from the macro level of global culture to the micro level of local communities.	Professor GILL VALENTINE Professor of Human Geography and Director of the Leeds Social Science Institute, University of Leeds, UK JOHN McCARTHY Senior Lecturer, School of Town and Regional Planning, University of Dundee, UK
Economic regeneration through leisure and tourism	. . . the changing role of leisure, sport and tourism in promoting economic development related to urban and rural regeneration.	Professor CHRIS GRATTON Professor of Sport Economics and Director of the Sport Industry Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam and Sheffield Universities, UK Dr HEATHER GIBSON Associate Professor, Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sport Management, University of Florida, USA
Academic renewal in leisure and tourism studies	. . . critical evaluation of theoretical, methodological and pedagogical developments within the subject field of leisure studies broadly defined to include sport and tourism.	Professor JOHN TRIBE Professor of Tourism, School of Management, University of Surrey, UK Dr ANNETTE PRITCHARD Reader in Tourism Studies and Director of the Welsh Centre for Tourism Research, University of Wales Institute Cardiff, UK

Organising Committee Chair Prof. Cara Aitchison Cara.Aitchison@uwe.ac.uk Conference Administration / Information Myrene McFee e-mail: mcfee@solutions-inc.co.uk

Rationale

The production, consumption and regeneration of leisure and tourism landscapes and environments has formed an enduring theme in both leisure and tourism studies. Initially informed by geography and environmental management, explorations of the relationships between environment and leisure are now central to a wide range of research agendas across the social sciences. Increasing concerns about sustainability, community development, social inclusion, urban regeneration, rural renaissance and security have focused attention on the ways in which we plan and manage leisure and tourism landscapes and environments. But making space for leisure and tourism has become an increasingly contested terrain in a world where many people are income rich and time poor, where others remain in poverty or rely on the spending of tourists to make a living, and where our demands on the environment have frequently outstripped the supply of resources. Recently, however, leisure and tourism have come to be seen not simply as activities that draw on the environment but as mechanisms through which both urban and rural environments can be renewed and regenerated. By making space for leisure and tourism far reaching and sustainable social, cultural and economic benefits can be developed for individuals, communities and wider society.

A major focus within recent leisure and tourism education has been on the need to educate future professionals of the need to plan and manage leisure and tourism in more sustainable ways if they are not to degrade or destroy the very resources upon which the future growth of leisure and tourism depend. In addition to focusing on environmental renewal in leisure and tourism, the conference therefore aims to address issues of educational renewal in leisure and tourism studies. Thus, making space for leisure and tourism also relates to the renewal of the subject field, research perspectives and pedagogy. With this in mind, a central theme throughout the conference will be the making of links between teaching and research and between academics and practitioners in the context of sustainability.

For the first time in more than ten years the LSA conference will adopt an explicitly environmental focus. The 2006 conference aims to bring significant new insights to what has been an important area of academic and applied research within leisure studies since the inception of the Association in 1975. In addition to leisure studies' parent disciplines of geography, sociology and economics the subject fields of planning, architecture, public and social policy, transport policy and heritage studies have all begun to address the need to consider issues of environmental sustainability and the spatiality of leisure and tourism.

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Audience

The conference is aimed at a broad range of academics stretching well beyond leisure studies. This audience will include researchers, lecturers and research students in geography, sociology, economics, architecture, cultural policy, environmental management, heritage studies, planning studies, public policy, social policy, tourism studies and transport policy. The conference is also designed to appeal to policy makers, politicians, planners and practitioners and high profile speakers from outside academia will be a special feature of the conference designed to broaden the appeal of leisure and tourism studies.

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CALL FOR PAPERS ~

DEADLINE EXTENDED

LATE Proposals including those for the Open Stream may still be considered after January 10, 2006, until extended programme space is filled.

Open Stream      In addition to papers addressing one of the four main conference themes, novel research outside these thematic foci is also welcome. The open stream of the conference is designed to encourage / enable conference participation for Members and others for whom the current year's theme is not within their particular area of interest, but have a contribution to make to leisure studies theory, methodology, policy and pedagogy. The open stream will thus offer a forum for novel research papers that engage with key debates in the development of the subject field of leisure studies in addition to critical issues emanating from specific leisure research projects. NOTE >>>> A limited number of slots (possibly 6 to 10) will be allotted for the open session presentations. Prospective presenters with questions about 'open' papers are encouraged to contact the conference organisers. See "Late Submissions".

All late submissions should keep to the guidelines below.

To Cara Aitchison Cara.Aitchison@uwe.ac.uk and copy to Myrene McFee mcfee@solutions-inc.co.uk

A.   Author(s) --- full contact details for each author (post, phone, fax, e-mail)

B.   Biographical information (100~200 words) (each author). This should include information on each author's field of study, main research interests, and key publications, if any.

C.   Abstract (200~400 words) structured as follows:

1. Title; relation of the paper to theme/s of conference.
2. An indication of the broad theoretical orientation (where appropriate to the proposal).
3. A description of the forms of original research (if relevant) that the paper will report on and/or a summary of the types of material the paper will discuss.
4. An indication of related work by others.

Please note:

* Limit one proposal per first-named author.
* Abstracts must not contain tables / illustrations.
* Full bibliographical references must be included for any cited work.

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Venue

The South West of England is the most popular tourism destination of all regions in the UK, home to the Eden Project which symbolises the role of leisure and tourism in environmental renewal, and boasts a wide range of old and new cultural attractions in Bristol and Bath, the region's two major cities. Many of these urban attractions have arisen from major regeneration projects including the newly opened Roman Spa in Bath, the extensive waterfront development in Bristol including the @ Bristol complex, the Watershed media centre, the renovated Arnolfini Gallery and the current development of Temple Quay and the Bristol Arena.

The University of the West of England is located in Bristol and is one of the largest universities in the UK with over 24,000 students and 1,000 academic staff.

The conference will be held at Frenchay Campus (main university campus).

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Travel to Bristol

The University is easy to reach from most areas of the country, situated close to the M4 and M5 motorways. Intercity trains provide frequent services to Gloucester, Bath and Swindon, and to London, Birmingham and other parts of the country. Bristol Parkway station is very convenient for the University's Frenchay Campus. London is just 90 minutes from Bristol by train. Travel by coach is easy too, with an extensive network of routes. Bristol International Airport, at Lulsgate, has direct flights to many UK and European cities.

For complete travel information, go to http://www.uwe.ac.uk/visitors/gettingtobristol.shtml

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Conference organising committee

Professor Cara Aitchison, Professor in Human Geography, University of the West of England
Professor Nigel Curry, Associate Dean Faculty of the Built Environment, University of the West of England
Dr Tim Gale, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Studies, University of the West of England
Dr Fiona Jordan, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Geography, University of the West of England
Dr Maria Casado-Diaz, Senior Lecturer in Tourism Studies, University of the West of England
Dr Nigel Morgan, Reader in Tourism Studies, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
Myrene McFee, LSA Conference Administrator
Joanne Bailey, Conference Office Sales and Marketing Manager, University of the West of England

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For more information

Details will be updated on this web page as the conference develops. PLEASE BOOKMARK AND COME BACK.

If you are not an LSA Member and would like to be kept informed, please contact mcfee@solutions-inc.co.uk

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