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present somewhere remotely, rather than physically),
full body immersion and networked communications.
For tourism, virtual reality becomes a metaphor
that describes the endeavour of industrialised
cultures to develop technological simulation of the
real for commercial or social advantage. Destinations
such as Walt Disney World develop pseudoevents
and spectacles which are uniform and
predictable, in order to draw as constant a stream
of visitors as possible. Such tourism sites are
commercialised; they replace natural environments,
social structures and cultural events with a
simulacrum. The question of authenticity arises
when the tourist interacts with this technology, the
hyperreal �theme parks, guided tours, interpretative
sites), without being able or willing to
exercise any real power or direct influence upon
the natural environment. The tourist is provided
with an experience of interaction with the other,
and engagement in the exotic that is prefabricated
and illusory, but engaging and encompassing. This
decontextualisation ensures an anticipated experience,
while maintaining freedom from the confines,
expectations and responsibilities of the real world.
See also: authenticity; hyperreality
Further reading
Fjellman, S.M. �1992) Vinyl Leaves:Walt Disney World
and America, San Francisco: Westview Press. �A
critique of Walt Disney World as surreal, as
simulacrum.)
Heim, M.N. �1993) The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality,
NY: Oxford University Press. �Describes the
essence of virtualreality,particularly inChapter 8.)
Lippit, A.M. �1994) `Virtual annihilation, optics,
virtual reality and the discourse of subjectivity',
Criticism ± A Quarterly for Literature and the Arts
36�4): 595±612. �Discusses changing meanings of
reality, and virtual reality as a form of liberation.)
WILLIAM CANNON HUNTER, USA
Visions in Leisure and Business
Visions in Leisure and Business is an interdisciplinary
forum which seeks to improve delivery systems in
visiting friends and relatives 621
this field. The purpose of the journal is isolation
and integration of those business processes that
relate to the leisure service industry, in order to
broaden current theory and applied methods
through stimulation of ideas among traditional and
non-traditional aspects of the leisure and business
institution. First published in 1982, the journal
appears quarterly, published by Appalachian Associates
�ISSN 0277±5204).
RENE BARETJE, FRANCE
visiting friends and relatives
The visiting friends and relatives �VFR) market has
often been ignored by researchers and marketers
who assume that it cannot easily be managed and
that its economic importance is minimal. However,
research has shown that these tourists are more
numerous and have greater economic impacts than
was previously thought �Morrison and O'Leary
1995). Further, studies have revealed that this is not
a homogeneous group: visiting friends can be quite
different from trips to relatives. VFR as a trip
purpose should be separated from visiting as a trip
activity when segmenting the market �see also
market segmentation).
The VFR market is related to historical links
between regions, and particularly migration
patterns. It might be expected that attractive
destinations generate more such traffic, but family
and social benefits actually predominate. Special
events can be developed to encourage this sector by
appealing to the `homecoming ' instinct. While it is
generally true that the VFR segments are often older,
stay longer, use less commercial accommodation,
spend less per day and are not necessarily lured by
promotions, their impacts can nevertheless be
substantial. Hosts often take their guests to attractions
around the home base; shopping and gift
giving can stimulate retailing; dining out and
attending local entertainment and events are
common. Research has shown that members of the
long-haul VFR market are likely to be more
influenced by word-of-mouth information, that
many are repeat tourists and that their lifetime value
to a destination must be considered, especially as