This book responds to the need to investigate the complex links between sex and leisure and their implications for research and practice. Understanding sex as leisure aligns with sex-positive culture that focuses on affirming pleasure in the contemporary sexual discourse and advocating for sexual diversity, freedom, empowerment, and fulfilling sex lives. The focus of this book is on analyzing the complexity of sex as leisure in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts, with particular reference to vulnerable populations and pressing sexual issues, including sexual pleasure and expression, biomedicalization of sexuality, and social justice and sexuality. Specific chapters offer diverse international coverage and address the links between a positive sexuality framework and leisure research. The chapters cover sexual play and sex toys based on consumer experience perspectives; using the leisure lens to analyze sex and pornography addiction; quadriplegic sexuality and leisure; rejection and resilience on a gay cruise; relational dynamics of aging, exploitation, and deceit in sex tourism; sexual harassment of solo female travelers; and the complexity of consent in the sexualized leisure space of a pornography expo. This book will be of great value to those interested in transdisciplinary scholarship as it critically broadens the bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective of sex as leisure. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Leisure Sciences.

This book responds to the need to investigate the complex links between sex and leisure and their implications for research and practice. Understanding sex as leisure aligns with sex-positive culture that focuses on affirming pleasure in the contemporary sexual discourse and advocating for sexual diversity, freedom, empowerment, and fulfilling sex lives. The focus of this book is on analyzing the complexity of sex as leisure in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts, with particular reference to vulnerable populations and pressing sexual issues, including sexual pleasure and expression, biomedicalization of sexuality, and social justice and sexuality. Specific chapters offer diverse international coverage and address the links between a positive sexuality framework and leisure research. The chapters cover sexual play and sex toys based on consumer experience perspectives; using the leisure lens to analyze sex and pornography addiction; quadriplegic sexuality and leisure; rejection and resilience on a gay cruise; relational dynamics of aging, exploitation, and deceit in sex tourism; sexual harassment of solo female travelers; and the complexity of consent in the sexualized leisure space of a pornography expo. This book will be of great value to those interested in transdisciplinary scholarship as it critically broadens the bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective of sex as leisure. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Leisure Sciences.

This book encompasses the diversity and complexity of sex in tourism, incorporating the light, dark and shades of grey in between. It brings together work and ideas from a diverse array of researchers from around the world and examines the affects and effects of diverse sexual encounters in tourism, romance tourism, sex tourism and sexual exploitation in tourism – including the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism, and sexual harassment. Sex in tourism has arguably been an understudied area of research relative to the central roles that sex plays within tourism experiences. This volume explores the complexity and nuanced nature of sex in tourism in more detail. It will be of interest to students and researchers of tourism impacts, tourist behaviour, hospitality management, destination management and development.

This book uses the emerging and cutting-edge area of leisure research to highlight the importance of sexuality and sexual activity and its relevance to leisure studies. It brings to the fore some complex issues associated with this topic using a range of substantive, epistemological, theoretical and methodological approaches. Drawing on international scholarship, the book examines sexuality from multiple, and at times, competing directions, exploring the continuum of sex from work through to carnal pleasure, and across specific sexual practices including BDSM, pornography, stripping, and sex work. Drawing on critical, feminist, queer, and post theoretical perspectives, the book charts a new direction for leisure studies and sex research, including diverse understandings of leisure practice, sex positivity, fringe and deviant sex practices. Critically, the book moves beyond merely establishing sex as a leisure pursuit to focusing on the compelling and complex intersections between sexuality and leisure. This is fascinating reading for any student or researcher with an interest in leisure, sexuality, gender, cultural studies or sociology.

As the world grapples with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, on almost every news website, across social media, as well as in its (many) absences, leisure has taken on new significance in both managing and negotiating a global crisis. Leisure in the Time of Coronavirus: A Rapid Response, amidst the disruption, inconvenience, illness, fear, uncertainty, tragedy, and loss from COVID-19, generates discussions that enable leisure scholars to learn and to engage with wider debates about the crucial role of leisure in people’s lives. The pandemic has brought tourism to a standstill with borders closed and travel restricted. From home (for those fortunate enough to have them), in physical isolation, and in attempts to socialize, at no time in recent memory has leisure seemed so vital, and yet also so hauntingly absent. Leisure, therefore, remains an important lens through which to view, question, and understand the world. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal, Leisure Sciences.

Contemporary Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism delivers a comprehensive collection of chapters including new insights for traditional paradigms, approaches, and methods, as well as more recent developments in research methodology in the context of tourism and hospitality.

"It was a warm summer's day and the central London streets were bustling with excitement. A sea of people were competing to secure a place where they could watch the Pride march walk past. The audience was diverse, with people of all ages, genders, sexualities and ethnicities, supporting a range of colorful and flamboyant outfits. Having noticed London Pride becoming better attended over the last few years, a group of us arrived early in our usual spot near Pall Mall, which both provided a good view and afforded some shade. There was music blasting out, people were shouting and singing, whistles were blowing, and there were positive and happy vibes all-round. It was before noon, and many people had already started drinking at least somewhat responsibly"--

This book explores the application of psychological theories to tourist behaviour and experiences. It traces the evolution of those theories and how they have changed in response to broader social and economic changes. Among those changes have been the development of tourism, which reflects those social changes and contributes to them. In doing so, tourism theories also contribute to and gain insights from emergent psychological theories including those derived from the neurosciences. The book provides both undergraduate and postgraduate students with an understanding of core psychological perspectives derived from both humanistic and empirical psychology and their application to tourist behaviours and experiences.

This book challenges many suppositions surrounding sex tourism, suggesting that elderly males who seek romance and are caught up in their fantasies of finding love with ‘exotic’ black women are taken advantage of, even while the women are often deluding themselves when searching for the mzungu who will enable them to fulfil their dreams of travel, house ownership and comfort. It is a complex story based on research into the lives of the sex workers obtained from a study conducted over 12 months in the bars and nightclubs of the Kenyan coast. Fortunes are made and lost, but the tragedy is that the success of the few in achieving their dreams becomes a false promise for the majority who seek to emulate the success of the few. The book will be of immense value to those interested in gender studies, and indeed those who hold an interest in the complexities of sex work.