Untitled

ing immigrants to the United States, various
distinct cultural areas have evolved throughout
the country. Some of the most prominent of these
are in the South, with its image of the plantation
lifestyle, in the West with its image of cowboys
and frontier life, and in the Northeast with its
image of hard-working, independent people.
Ethnic cultures are also evident in the cities and
some regions of the country. The regions of the
United States have become known for their unique
forms of culture and cultural attractions. Due to
immigration policies, large numbers of individuals
with similar ethnic backgrounds tended to settle in
distinct communities, and develop tourism attractions
and events which are similar to their homelands,
such as Scottish games, Bask and Obon
festivals, and ethnic areas in communities such as
Chinatown and Little Italy.
The United States has become one of the preeminent
destinations in the world due to its size,
differing perspectives and diversity of attractions
and culture. Because of this success and the
economic impact it provides, it is important to
understand the various aspects of tourism policy
development in this country, and the difficulty in
adequately representing all of the interested
parties.
Further reading
Smith, G. and Edgell, D.L. �1993) `Tourism
milestones for the millennium: projections and
implications of international tourism for the
United States through the year 2000,' Journal of
Travel Research, Summer: 42±7. �Reviews tourism's
economic impact and policy issues and
trends.)
Travel and Tourism Government Affairs Council
�1996) `The Travel and Tourism Government
Affairs Council 1996 Midyear Report', letter to
Council members from Chairman Roger H.
Ballou. �Offers an overview of US tourism
industry's top priority concerns.)
GINGER SMITH, USA
DAVID L. EDGELL, USA
TAYLOR ELLIS, USA
urban recreation
The concept of urban recreation covers recreational
activity that takes place in an urban
environment in contrast to a rural setting �see
rural recreation). Participants in such activities
are either urban residents themselves, day visitors
from rural areas, or tourists �see urban tourism).
The major activities are shopping, visits to
heritage sites, museums, movie theatres, operas,
sport and music events, and indoor sports
activities.
urban tourism
urban tourism 615
MARTIN OPPERMANN, AUSTRALIA
For a long time, tourism was associated with
centrifugal flows of urban residents going to the
countryside or the seaside for a holiday or an
excursion. The concept of urban tourism only
entered the research agenda in the 1980s, when it
became obvious that many cities were developing
into important destinations. Business travel and
city trips have always existed, but the leisure
motives have become more important and the
numbers of urban tourists have increased considerably.
The delay of interest in urban tourism can be
explained by a neglect in urban studies to assess the
importance of leisure, recreation and tourism in
an urban environment. Further, there was a lack
of understanding of the urban tourism system. The
difficulty of separating this from non-tourism
functions in the wide range of urban activities
and the tendency to explore the issue of urban
tourism in case studies rather than by conceptual
studies have contributed to the slow progress of
urban tourism research. Contrary to other destinations,
where the product �the supply side) as well
as the range of activities could be well described, in
the multifunctional urban system the identification
of the tourism function and the multipurpose
character of many visits is far more complicated.
Understanding urban tourism and the product life
cycle of urban destinations implies an integrated
approach in the analysis of forms and functions.
Research into new methods to identify the role of