Recreation and Leisure Industry Report:

Recreation and Leisure Industry report: the commercial resort and entertainment industry. The commercial resort and recreation industry is, according to reports, showing positive growth and the possibility of increased growth in 2007. This is despite many setbacks such as natural disasters, Avian Flu and the negative influence that terrorism has had on the industry. As one report indicates, these factors have not had a significant negative impact on the industry in general.

"....With 842 million arrivals and a 4.5% growth rate, 2006 exceeded expectations as the tourism sector continued to enjoy above average results, making it a new record year for the industry. " (World Tourism Organization) www.unwto.org/newsroom/menu.htm Figures for the Word travel and Tourism Council...indicate that " Figures for the Word Travel and Tourism Council indicate that travel and tourism was responsible for the employment of 235, 205, 000 people in 2006.

(Executive Summary) Furthermore the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer figures "...suggest that 2007 will consolidate this performance and turn into the fourth year of sustained growth. (World Tourism Organization) Another indication of the resort industries buoyancy can be seen in the fact that, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority ".. Las Vegas hosted a record of 38.9 million visitors in 2006, an increase of 0.9% from 2005." (Travel Industry Update This increased confidence in the industry has obviously resulted in a boost in job confidence and then availability of jobs in this sector.

For example in cities like San Francisco where there is a high concentration of tourists, there has been an increase in related job availability. "The City's visitor industry employs 66,300 people - and 55% of them are San Francisco residents. Tourism supports more jobs in San Francisco than finance, insurance, information services and legal services.

In fact, it's one of the largest employers in the City." (2006-2007 marketing plan) Coupled with this is the fact that the largest travel segment for San Francisco is leisure travel with "...more than 40% of overnight hotel visitors" (2006-2007 marketing plan) in California Travel and tourism expenditures total $82.5 billion annually and ".. support jobs for nearly 900,000 Californians." (Travel Industry) There are many trends and challenges in the industry at present.

While it is certainly true that natural disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes and the Avian Flu threat have had a negative impact on the industry, yet industry leaders are optimistic about future industry prospects. (the Global Tourism and Travel Summit.) One trend and challenge that has emerged recently and which has elicited much debate and concern, is global warming. This is also related to the trend within the industry which is concerned about the future viability of resorts and recreational areas on the coast or in mountainous areas.

" in two environments which are vital for tourism activities and where tourism is an equally vital component in regional and local economies - coastal zones and mountain regions - climate change puts tourism at risk. Important market changes could result." (1st International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism) However there is also a focus in the industry on learning from the experience of resorts and recreational enterprises that have recovered from floods and other disasters.

For example, Mexico has shown the ability that the industry has to recover for these disasters. The rapid recovery which was implemented in Mexico's leading Caribbean resorts after the devastation caused by Hurricane Wilma last year "...should be used as a blueprint for other tourism regions facing similar catastrophes..." (Word Tourism Organization) Another trend that has emerged recently is the growing realization of the importance of the link between resorts and the local economic environment in which they function.

This refers to the interdependence between the commercial resort industry and the.