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Events > World Leisure Congresses > Previous Congresses > 7th World Leisure Congress - 20027th World Leisure Congress - 2002
Kula Lumpur, Malaysia
October 21, 2002 To October 25, 2002
THEME - Global Forces and Local Responses: Leisure - Culture - Sport - Tourism
Leisure and Human Development
 Context: Today we face a number of unprecedented world-wide forces profoundly affecting the quality of life everywhere. We have become concerned about the consequences of rapid technological change, population growth, climate change, environmental degradation, poverty, etc. However, it is also true that our world has become more open and transparent, providing much improved access to the more desirable fruits of civilization. Indeed, our capacity to share has never been greater. But, whether defined positively or negatively, all such forces are having an impact upon how we provide for leisure experiences and the leisure experience itself.
Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy giving Opening Address in which he presented an overview of the present state of globaliztion, and its impact upon societies world wide.
Today many of these issues are addressed in the context of globalization, in both its economic and cultural forms. Issues such as regulation and control, homogenisation, and brand identity and loyalty, have risen to the top of agendas for a variety of groups; governmental and non-governmental alike. What are the implications of globalization processes for leisure? Beyond the several benefits, there is a growing concern that the forces of globalization pose a tangible threat to cultural diversity, and consequently to local identity and autonomy. Among the first to feel the effects has been leisure in all of its forms.
The question examined at the Kuala Lumpur Congress was:
In providing for leisure, culture, sport and tourism, what is the best balance between the global and the local, and, more important, how do we achieve such a balance?
The Event
The Congress was comprised of:
- Presentations by international experts
- Current practices, models and exemplars
- Research reports
- Workshops
- Social and Cultural Programs
- Pre-and Post Congress Tours
Program Details
Details of Plenaries, Panel Sessions and Paper Presentations
Congress Location
Malaysia, a country of rich diversity, has created a unique society that blends tradition with the modern. It possesses a multi-ethnic population steeped in culture and tradition, with warm and friendly people. Several decades o f sustained economic growth and political stability have made it one of the most buoyant and wealthy countries in the region.
Kuala Lumpur, the capital and Congress location, is a modern, bustling metropolis of 1.2 million, and the principal centre of commerce, politics, entertainment and international activities.
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