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Figure 1.1. Daniel Patrick Moynihan speaking at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1976. (Photo Credit: Marion S. Trikosko/The U.S. Library of Congress) By Rasul A. Mowatt, Department Head and Professor, North Carolina State University Policies are the hidden socio-political forces that create the realities within any given geographic specificity of the environment, particularly oneRead more

By Charlise Bennett, Australian Recreational Therapy Association (ARTA) Executive Officer  In Australia, the Australian Recreational Therapy Association (ARTA) is the peak professional body for people working in health and utilizing recreation, and leisure to support client outcomes. In September 2022, the association changed names from Diversional and Recreation Therapy Australia to give clarity, as aRead more

By Dr. Lyndon Bouah, Chief Director of Sport and Recreation at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Western Cape Government, South Africa The Western Cape Province is one of nine provinces in South Africa. The biggest city of the province is Cape Town. The Western Cape is renowned for its natural beauty and scenery.Read more

Regional inequalities and rural depopulation are preoccupying topics that have during the last years been high on the policy agendas. International organisations have been taking into consideration these two challenges and are designing programmes or advocating for more policies in this area- including in relation to leisure. The OECD Rural 3.0 people-centred rural policy documentRead more

While COVID-19 is still imposing itself on our realities, the cultural and creative sectors have been hit hard and are looking for ways to re-invent themselves and/or look for new alternative narratives and forms. The year 2021 has been declared the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development by the UN. The main axisRead more

It is impossible nowadays to write a piece on leisure policies without having the COVID-19 setting in mind. As the pandemic continues to impose the importance of safe distancing in all activities of human life, sports events and activities are largely affected. Are we in a moment where we need to re-consider health in theRead more

If there is a sector affected by the spreading novel coronavirus, this is without doubt the Leisure sector. Theater, museums, leisure centers have closed to protect the health and safety of visitors and staff. Major events, from the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to the Cannes Film Festival are delayed, postponed or cancelled. The haltRead more

In order to strengthen institutional capacities for information management and monitoring in support of decision and policymaking, UNWTO launched in 2004 the concept of the International Network of Sustainable Tourism Observatories (INSTO) based on the UNWTO methodology for sustainable tourism indicators. INSTO’s mission is to facilitate the establishment of a network of observatories at allRead more

We inaugurate the Newsletter’s section on Policies focusing on the city level, as a first level of analysis of where leisure occurs. In search of a contemporary definition of a “leisure city”, we look into tools for policy makers to design future leisure related evidence-based strategies. The Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor is presented, aRead more