Ski – resort and regional development: profile of visitors ... - E-Journal

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A tale of two caravan parks: friendship, community and the freedom thing The concept of ‘community’ is not unproblematic. As Raymond Williams (1983) noted in Keywords: ‘Community can be the warmly persuasive word to describe an existing set of relationships, or the warmly persuasive word to describe an alternative set of relationships. What is most important, perhaps, is that unlike all other terms of social organization (state, nation, society, etc.) it never seems to be used unfavourably, and never to be given any positive opposing or distinguishing term’ (1983, p76). However, this does not alter the general argument that focal leisure activities offer opportunities to become involved in a community of interest. Literature on the psychological concept of a sense of community is quite well developed (McMillan & Chavis, 1986; McMillan, 1996). McMillan’s (1996) theory and definition which developed from his earlier work with Chavis, proposes that sense of community is composed of four defining elements: spirit; trust; trade; and art. For McMillan, these elements are linked in a self-reinforcing circle. Part of the significance of the attraction to a sense of community within the caravan park is that for many urban dwellers, a sense of community is something that has been lost from our everyday lives (Parker, 2004). We live close to each other in crowded cities but somehow remain socially isolated from our neighbours. Recent media reports in Sydney, Australia highlighted five instances within a ten day period in which people had died alone in their homes in high density urban areas and were not discovered by their neighbours for many months (El-Chami, 2006; Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006; Kent, 2006). The undiscovered deaths were attributed to a lack of a sense of community and the reluctance of neighbours to look out for each other (Kent, 2006). While theoretical debate continues on how to remedy the situation, urban sociologists have long recognised that cities have not been planned with a sense of community in mind (Grant, 2006; Parker, 2004). Urbanism as a way of life “with its impersonality, anonymity and world of strangers” has been developed with the interests of business and industry in mind, not the sociable interests of its citizens (Wearing, 1998, p.128). Critical theorists argue that this situation is a result of an imbalance in power relations between big business and the rest of the community (Bessant & Watts, 2002; Parker, 2004). The above view is manifested in the design and use of the typical urban streetscape. The current generation of children growing up in urban Australia generally do not play with their child neighbours in the street as their parents and grandparents may have done during their own childhood years. Nor do our children ride their bicycles around their local suburb unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult. It is not considered safe for them to do so. The combination of the dangers of traffic and “stranger danger” keep children isolated inside their own homes. Our homes provide refuge as well as revealing our deep need for security, image and identity (Grant, 2006). The design of our communities and the availability of public space do not encourage casual socialising with our friends and neighbours (Putnam, 2000, Tourism Today - Fall 2007 - Full Paper 11
12 Carmel Foley and Bruce Hayllar p.408) and under these conditions there is reduced scope for the development of a sense of community (Parker, 2004; Grant, 2006). APPROACHING THE DATA In this paper we explore the notion of community in the context of McMillan’s (1996) conceptualisation. This exploration arose in a grounded way from the narrative of the two groups of participants in the study. One group reported that a sense of community was a special and attractive feature of caravan park holidays; a feature they believed to be missing in other types of holidays. The second group appeared to have a less developed sense of community, despite the reports of the importance of the friendships among the group members. We attempt to describe, in the first instance, ways in which a sense of community was manifested for the participants in the first group, and to determine the factors that contribute to the experience of community. Secondly, we aim to develop an understanding of the reasons that the second group had a less developed sense of community. Through this analysis we hope to provide some insight into the ways in which this form of tourist experience can contribute to the production of social capital. METHODOLOGY The Study Sites The study took place at two caravan parks; one on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, and the other in far north Queensland. The New South Wales park is situated at the mouth of a river that provides caravan park patrons with direct access to the water. Boat launching ramps, swimming areas on the lagoon and the nearby beaches provide substantial opportunities for water-based recreation including swimming, enclosed water and deep-sea fishing, SCUBA diving and surfing. The park’s locality also provides relatively easy access to national parks, state forests and smaller towns and villages in the coastal hinterland. In addition to these natural attributes, the caravan park is adjacent to a commercial area containing a range of tourist related services and infrastructure including local fast food outlets, restaurants and cafes, a small cinema, a bowling and returned servicemen’s club, and a branch of a national supermarket chain. At peak periods, typically during the school holidays, up to seven hundred and fifty people will reside in the park. While the management has changed many times, the site itself has been used for camping holidays for more than 60 years. (Indeed, some of the participants in the study have been visiting the park for that length of time.) The park has evolved from a local government controlled camping ground to a modern ‘resort style’ establishment with a mixture of camping and caravan sites, cabins and ‘villas’, a recreation hall, swimming pool , a ‘jumping pillow’ and programmed children’s activities. It is clean, clearly laid out and appears to be well maintained. Peak season for this park is the southern hemisphere summer, particularly the December-January school holiday period. Tourism Today - Fall 2007 - Full Paper
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