impacts of tourism on

8/2/2019 Impacts of Tourism On

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Im p a c t s o f To u r is m o n

R e s i d e n t s '

L e i s u r e :

C on c e p t s , a n d alo n g it u d i n a l c a s e s t u d y

of Sp e y Va lley, Sco t la n d

D on a l d G e t z

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Researcher s ha ve long commen ted u pon th e influen ce of tour ism on

the culture an d social l i fe of host populat ions, including n ew leisure

opportu nities and changes in resident behaviour. As well, man y attitu de

o r p e r ce p t i on s u r v e ys u n d e r t a k e n i n a v a r i e t y of i n t e r n a t i o n a l

des t ina t ions have inc luded ques t ions speci f ic to res idents ' le i sure .

However, there has been l i t t le published in the way of detai led case

studies or longitudinal changes, from which causal relationships might

be identified.

Th i s pape r exam ines r e la t ed l i t e r a tu r e on im pact s an d d raw s

evidence from a longitudinal case study of tourism development and

impacts in the Badenoch and Strathspey District (called Spey Valley) of

the central Scottish Highlands. Data on residents' leisure preferences

and patter ns were f irst obtained in ran dom h ousehold interviews an d

from a questionnaire survey of high school students undertaken in 1978.

S u b s e q u e n t s u r v e y s c on d u c t e d i n 1 9 9 2 i n c l u d e d p o in t s o f d i r e c t

compa rison on leisure issues. Analysis of the da ta is placed in t he cont ext

of long-term changes in the tourism industry and i ts impacts on this

rura l area.

Specific causal factors are identified, both supply and demand, but

the long-term influence of general cultural and societal factors is morecomplex and cannot easi ly be explained. Implications are drawn for

tourism plann ing and furt her research.

AbstractI mpacts of tour i sm on the l ei sur epat tern s and p r efer ences ofdesti nat i on resi dent s ar e

exami ned, commencin g wi thconcept s an d i ssues dr awn fr omper t i nent l i ter atur e. A

l ongitu di nal case stu dy of thedevel opment an d i mpa cts oftour i sm i n Spey Vall ey, Scotl andpr ovi des specifi c support i ng dat a,par ti cula r l y fr om sur veys of l ocalhi gh school stu dent s. Fin di ngs

r eveal how th e i nt er acti ons ofsupply (mai nl y new faci l i t i es) anddemand factor s ( in cludi ng visi tornu mber s and th e demonstr ati on

effect) i nt er act wi th l ocal soci o-cultu r al dynami cs and t he gener alenvironment to generate impacts.Impl icat ions are dr awn for fu tur er esear ch and for t our i sm

p lanning.

Dr Donald Getz is Associate Professorof Tourism and Hospitality, Managementat the University of Calgary. He

specialises in tourism planning, impactassessment and event tourism.

THE JOURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol. 4, No. 2, DEC.'93 33


2/12

Table 1: Research on the Impacts of Tourism on Residents' Leisure.

Au t h or /Da t e S t u d y Ar e a Ke y F in d in gs

F r ey 1 970 S wit ze rla n d - a lt er ed wor k pa t t er n s d is ru pt fa m ily life; le ss fr ee

time; demonstration effect as locals take up new

sports; tr aditional pursuits decline

Br ou gh am an d Skye - r esiden ts' or ga nised leisu re declin es du rin g pea k

Bu t ler 1977 Scot la nd t ou rist sea son s; som e m ut ua lly sa t isfa ct or y leis ur e

excha nges occur ;tra ditional ceilidhs declined

E TB 1977 E ast bou rn e - leisu re fa cilit ies h ad im pr oved

England

An dr on icou Cypr us - r evit a lis ed cr a ft s a n d a r ts ; n ew folk lor e clu bs for

tra ining performers

Ma n n in g 197 9 Be rm u da - i ncr e a sed a ct i vi ty in Bl a ck s oci a l/s por t cl u bs bu t

concomitant decline in t ra ditional lodges

J or da n 1980 Ver mon t - r es id en t s d is pla yed ph on ey folk cu lt u re for

U.S.A. t ou rist s, su st ain ed th eir own cu lt ur e in th e off

seasons

P ea r ce a n d Qu een st own - n ew le is ur e fa cilit ies bu ilt ; r es id en t s pr efe rr ed

Ca nt 1981 New Zea la nd m or e for fa milies a nd you th

D'Am or e 1983 Br it ish - r esiden ts fea r ed los s of t ra dit ion a l ga me an d fis h

Columbia resources

Canada

Garland 1984 New Zealand - new leisure facilities viewed positively, but higher

prices and congestion were nega tives

Sh eldon & Va r Wa les - r esiden ts felt t ou rism br ou gh t t hem mor e pa rk s

1984 and r ecreat ion, greater enter ta inment var iety, and

also more crowding

Liu & Va r Hawa ii - a minor ity of residents believed t hat tour ism had

1986 n eg a t ive i m p a ct s on r es id en t s ' l e i su r e

opport un ities, especially during peak sea son

- a vas t major ity believed tour ism increased theirentert ainment choice an d encoura ged a variety of

cultur al activities

Liu , Sh eldon Tu rk ey - in a ll t hr ee cou nt ries residen ts felt t ou rism to be a

& Var Hawaii posit ive influence on cultural act ivit ies and enter -

1987 Wales tainment facilit ies

NZTPD 1988, New Zealand - ir r ita t ion levels h ighest where dependency and

1992 s e a s on a l i t y w er e gr e a t e s t ; b en e fi t s s t i l l

acknowledged

McKean 1990 Bali - revit a lizat ion of folk ar ts

Indonesia

Sm ith 1990 Alas ka U .S .A. - r ev iva l of Es kimo cra ft s , dance , m usic and spor t

P er du e, Lon g, Color a do - r es id en t s did n ot b elie ve t ou r is m r ed uced ou t door

& Allen U.S.A. recreat ion quality

1990 - residen ts did believe tou r ism incr ea ses recreat ion

for locals

S ch r oed er 1 990 F la gs ta ff - r es id en t s th ou gh t t ou r is m br ou gh t bet t er

Ar izon a sh opp in g, cu lt u ra l a rt s a nd im pr oved qu alit y of

U.S.A. life

S ne pe nge r a nd Mon t a na - t ou r is m en cou r a ge s cu lt u ra l a ct ivit ie s, mor e pa r ks

J oh nson 1991 U.S.A. a nd r ecr ea tion ar ea s, bu t som e over cr owdin g

McKercher 1992 Onta r io - tou r opera tor s som et im es in confl ict w ith r es iden t s

Canada over a ccess t o fishing la kes

Tsar t as 1992 Greece - you th , es pecia lly ma les, ch a nged a tt it udes a nd

leisure behaviour; t raditional feasts aba ndoned

34 THE JOURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol. 4, No. 2, DEC. '93

C o n c e p t s a n d i s su e s i d e n t i fi e d

t h r o u g h l it e r a t u r e r e v ie w

S e v e r a l t h e m e s h a v e b e e n

i d e n t i f i e d f r o m t h e a v a i l a b l e

l i t e r a t u r e o n t o u r i s m a n d i t s

effects on residents' leisure. They

r a n g e fr o m a s t r a i g h t - fo r w a r d

listing of leisure-related develop-

ments to comparative assessmentsof resident perceptions of impacts

a n d a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d s t ou r i s m .

Table 1 summarises the literature

discussed below by presenting in

c h r o n o l o g i c a l o r d e r t h e c i t e d

r e f e r e n c e s a n d m a j o r p o i n t s o f

relevance.

Development of in fr astr uctur e

M o s t a s s e s s m e n t s o f t o u r i s m

developments include a listing of

i n fr a s t r u c t u r a l i m p r ov em e n t s ,i nc lud ing l e i su r e f ac i li t i e s . F or

e x a m p l e , n e w r e c r e a t i o n a l ,

s h o p p i n g , e n t e r t a i n m e n t a n d

c u l t u r a l f a c i l i t i e s b r o u g h t t o

Queenstown in New Zealand were

documented by Pearce and Cant

( 1 9 8 1 ) . I n m a n y a r e a s , s u c h

fac i l i t i e s w ou ld no t be f eas ib l e

without th e demand generated by

tourists or by resulta nt population

growth. However , the ac tual u se

b y r e s i d e n t s o f n e w l e i s u r e

o p p o r t u n i t i e s , a n d i t s s o c i o -

cultural significance, has not been

examined in great deta il.

Congesti on and confl i cts

B oth bene f it s and cos t s a r e fe l t

m o s t a c u t e l y by r e s i d e n t s o f

resorts and in other places where

concentrat ions of tourists exceed

the res ident popula t ion, a t leas t

dur ing the peak season. In New

Zealand, Garland (1984) examined

three tourist-oriented communities

a n d f ou n d t h a t r e s id e n t s h e l d

positive attitudes toward tourism.

T h i s r e f l e c t e d t h e i m p r o v e d

provision of community facilities,

encompassing sports, culture, and

recreation. On the other han d, the

same residents viewed negatively

t h e i n c r e a s i n g p r i c e s a n d

conges t ion b rough t by tou r i sm .

Pearce and Cant (1981) revealed

s i m i l a r a p p r e h e n s i o n s i n t h e

resort town of Queenstown, where

residents were very negative about

pr ice increa ses . Queens t owners


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the new clubs stressed sports and

d r i n k i n g , w h e r e a s t r a d i t i o n a l

lodges had stressed tempera nce.

I n d e e d , t o u r i s m ' s s o c i a l a n d

cul t ur a l e f fects are of ten mixed,

a n d o p e n t o v a l u e - b a s e d

interpretation. The "demonstration

effect" of tourist s en gaged in leisure

behaviour can influence residents,and the cultural distance between

hosts and guests might exacerbate

t h e s e i n f l u e n c e s . F o r e x a m p l e ,

T s a r t a s ( 1 99 2 ) r e p o r t e d o n t w o

G r e e k I s l a n d s w h e r e t o u r i s m

greatly influenced youth, especially

the ma les, in terms of att itudes and

behav iour . They cam e to w an t a

more modern l i fe s ty le , and were

a c c u s e d b y o t h e r r e s i d e n t s o f

spending too much time in bars and

p u r s u i n g fe m a l e t ou r i s t s , w h i le

tra ditional feasts were a bandoned.

More di rec t cul tura l impacts can

occur. For exam ple, Brougha m and

Butler (1977) found that traditions

like ceilidhs (informal musical get-

togethers) had declined on the Sleat

area of the Isle of Skye, owing to

ta keover of housing by second home

owners . The seasona l occupan t s

avoided contact with locals and the

d i s p l a c e m e n t o f p e r m a n e n t

residents h elped cause depopulated

v il l a g e s . W a l l a n d M a t h i e s on(1982) suggested that tourism can

d i s r u p t c o m m u n i t y b o n d s a n d

reduce local cohesiveness, resulting

in declining member ship in groups.

Social exchange between hosts and

guests is a theme covered in many

r e s e a r c h r e p o r t s . W h i l e D ox e y

(1975) and others have argued that

residents are likely to become more

antagonistic to tourism and visitors

over t ime, others believe that this

t y p e o f i n t e r a c t i o n i s p o s i t i v e .

Socia l i n t e r ac t ion h as even been

s t a t e d b y s o m e r e s i d e n t s a s a

r e a s o n f or b e i n g i n t h e t ou r i s m

i n d u s t r y ( e s p e c i a l l y b e d a n d

b r e a k f a s t en t e r p r i s e s ). I n N e w

Z e a l a n d , S i m m o n s a n d D e v l i n

(1986) sugges t ed tha t m os t hos t -

g u e s t i n t e r a c t i o n s a r e l i k e l y t o

occur in outd oor r ecreation sett ings,

which can provide for positive social

e x ch a n g e . I n t h e i r s t u d y o f

tourism impacts on t he Isle of Skye,

Brougham and Butler (1977) found

t h a t r e s id e n t s a n d t ou r i s t s h a d

mut ually satisfactory excha nges at

the local sailing club.

Frey's (1970) study of the impacts

o f m a s s t ou r i s m i n a r u r a l

commune in Switzerland provided

i n s i g h t s o n b o t h g e n e r a l a n d

speci f ic causal mechanisms. The

g e n e r a l c o n c l u s i o n w a s t h a t

t o u r i s m a c c e l e r a t e s s o c i a l a n dcu l tu ra l change p roces ses . W i th

regard to leisure, Frey found that

a l t e r e d w or k p a t t e r n s s t e m m i n g

from tourism led to a disruption of

f a m i l y l i f e a n d a l t e r e d l e i s u r e

patterns - indeed, people often had

l e s s fr e e t i m e . A d e m o n s t r a t i o n

effect was also observed, resulting

in more participation by locals in

new, form al sport s club s (which

alienated some residents) and less

p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n t r a d i t i o n a l ,

v o l u n t a r y a s s o c i a t i o n s . C h u r c ha c t i v i t i e s d e c l i n e d a n d s o m e

c u l t u r a l e l e m e n t s w e n t

" u n d e r g r o u n d " . O n c e c e r t a i n

tradit ions had been abandoned by

t h e a c c u lt u r a t i n g r e s i d e n t s ,

i n t e re s t i n " p rese rv ing" d i s t i nc t

c u l t u r a l e l e m e n t s f o r t o u r i s t

consumption arose, but the results

r e f l e c t e d a m o r e i n a u t h e n t i c ,

regional culture.

Resi dent s' per cepti ons and

at t i tudes

M a n y s t u d i e s h a v e e m p l o y e d

similar scales to measure resident

perceptions of tourism impacts, or

a t t i t u d e s t ow a r d s t h e i n d u s t r y ,

including items specific to leisure.

T h e r e s e a r c h e r s ' i n c l u s i o n o f

specific items in th ese sur veys does

shape t he r ange o f r e sponses , a s

opposed to uns t r uctured probing,

b u t r e s e a r c h e r s h a v e g e n e r a l l y

based the i r i n s t ru m en t s on p r ior

evaluation of local conditions and

i s s u e s t o e n s u r e a r e a s o n a b l e

degree of validity.

S o m e o f t h e e a r l i e s t r e s i d e n t

surveys pertaining to tourism were

c on d u ct e d i n E n g l a n d ( E n g l i s h

T o u r i s t B o a r d , n . d . ) f r o m 1 9 7 2

th r ough 1979 . For exam ple , t h e

Ea s tbourn e sur vey in 1977 found

t h a t a b o u t 2 0 % o f r e s p o n d e n t s

thought the town's amenities were

better because of tourism, but the

same proportion thought crowding

was a problem. There was definite

w e r e a l s o fou n d t o b e u n h a p p y

about the range of fac i l i t ies and

l e i s u r e o p p o r t u n i t i e s o r i e n t e d

t o w a r d s t o u r i s t s - t h e y d e s ir e d

m o r e l e i s u r e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r

families an d yout h. Also in th at

country (New Zealand Tourist and

Publicity Department 1988, 1992),

a Tour ism Accepta nce Index was

developed from resident surveys inv a r i o u s c o m m u n i t i e s . D a t a

s u p p o r t e d t h e h y p o t h e s is t h a t

areas with the highest seasonality

and greatest economic dependence

are m ost l ike ly to be i r r i ta ted by

tour i sm , w h i l e a t t he sam e t im e

acknowledging i t s benef i t s . This

r e s u l t r e f l e c t s i n p a r t t h e

underlying theory of Doxey's (1975)

I r r i d e x - t h a t r e s i d en t a t t i t u d e s

become more negat ive over tim e, as

the costs of tourism become more

evident.

Seasonal peaks in tourist demand

affec t res idents ' le isur e pat terns ,

such that it might be more difficult

for t h em t o ga in acces s t o pa rk s

a n d f a c i li t i e s . F a c il i t i e s m i g h t

b e c o m e s o c r o w d e d t h a t t h e i r

amenity value is diminished. In a

Hawa iian su rvey (Liu & Var, 1986),

32% of respondents agreed that it

w a s h a r d e r t o g e t t i c k e t s f o r

e n t e r t a i n m e n t or s p or t s e ve n t s

d u r i n g t h e p e a k t o u r is t s e a s o n .S i m i l a r l y , c h a n g i n g s e a s o n a l

demand led Jordan (1980) to model

the " V erm ont V aca t ion V i l l age"

wherein the residents displayed a

" p h o n e y f o l k c u l t u r e " f o r t h e

tourists and reverted to their own

cul ture dur ing the of f -season. In

the Sleat area of the Isle of Skye in

S cot l a n d , B r ou g h a m a n d B u t l e r

( 1 9 7 7 ) f o u n d t h a t o r g a n i s e d

recreat ion activities, like the dra ma

c l u b , d e c l i n e d d u r i n g t h e p e a k

tourist season.

Cult ur a l change

T o u r i s m c a n h e l p p r e s e r v e o r

r e v i t a l i s e t r a d i t i o n a l c u l t u r a l

pursuits , such as folk arts , dance,

m u s i c , f e s t i v a l s a n d g a m e s , a s

o b s e r v e d a m o n g t h e A l a s k a n

E s k i m o ( S m i t h , 1 9 9 0 ) , i n B a l i

( Mc Ke a n , 1 9 9 0 ), a n d i n C y p r u s

(Andronicou 1979). Manning (1979)

found t ha t t ou r i sm w as pa r t i a ll y

responsible for the growth of social

c lubs for b lacks in Berm uda, bu t


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36 THE JOURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol . 4 , No. 2 , DEC. '93

a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e s t a t e m e n t :

"Tourism means that good leisure

facil i t ies are available that local

people can enjoy". Local tourist

a t t r a c t i o n s w e r e w e l l u s e d b y

res iden t s , and they pa r t i cu l a r ly

enjoyed the year-round events at

the congress centre.

L i u , S h e l d o n a n d V a r ( 1 9 8 7 )reported on resident surveys they

conducted in Hawaii, North Wales

and Istanbul, Turkey. In all thr ee

samples there was a high level of

a g r e e m en t t h a t t o u r i s m w a s a

p o s i t i v e i n f l u e n c e o n c u l t u r a l

a c t iv i t ie s a n d e n t e r t a i n m e n t

facilities. In their an alysis of th e

North Wales survey, Sheldon and

Var (1984) repor te d t ha t 66% of

s a m p l ed r e si d e n t s a g r e ed t h a t

tour ism brought more parks and

rec rea t ion a reas fo r l oca l s , and62% agreed tha t it brought greater

entertainment variety.

P e r d u e , L on g a n d Al l e n ( 1 9 9 0)

studied 16 Colorado communities

and found tha t res idents d id not

feel tourism had reduced outdoor

recreation quality and did believe

s t r o n g l y , o v e r a l l , t h a t t o u r i s m

development increases t he n umber

o f r e c r e a t i o n o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r

loca l s . In M ont an a , Snepen ger

a n d J o h n s o n ( 1 9 9 1 ) d is c ov e r e d

t h a t r e s p o n d e n t s a g r e e d h i g h l y

tha t t our ism encoura ges cultura l

a c t i vi t i e s b y r e s i d e n t s . T h o s e

sam pled w ere a l so pos i t i ve th a t

tour ism leads to more parks and

rec rea t ion a reas , and the re w as

some a greement t hat overcrowding

of outdoor recreation places does

r e s u l t . T h e S h e l d on a n d Va r

(1984) study in North Wales found

tha t 45% of r e sponden t s ag r eed

tha t t our ism caused crowding in

outdoor recreation places used by

residents. Residents of Flagstaff ,

A r i z o n a w e r e c a n v a s s e d b y

Schroeder (1990). Positive impa cts

of tourism identified by residents

included shopping, availability of

c u l t u r a l a r t s , a n d t h e o v e r a l l

qua lity of life.

T o u r i s m a n d r e s i d e n t s ' l e is u r e

in Sp ey Val ley , Sco t lan d

A s p a r t o f a c o m p r e h e n s i v e ,

l o n g i t u d i n a l e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e

d e v e l o p m e n t a n d i m p a c t s o f

t o u r i s m i n t h e B a d e n o ch a n d

Stra thspey Dis t r ic t of the cent ra l

S cot t i s h H i g h l a n d s (c a l l ed S p e y

V al l ey ) , an a s ses sm en t has been

m a d e o f i m p a c t s o n r e s i d e n t s '

l ei su re pa t t e rns and p re fe rences .

S u r v e ys of r e s i d e n t s w e r e

under t aken in 1978 and aga in in

1 9 9 2 , y i e l d i n g p e r t i n e n t

information from a random sampleof househo lds a nd a non- rand om

sam ple of high school stu dent s.

Devel opment of th e tour i smindustry

The modern era of tourism in Spey

V a l l e y b e g a n i n t h e 1 9 5 0 s a n d

1960s with modest skiing develop-

ments at Cairn gorm mounta in, near

the small vi l lage of Aviemore. In

1 9 6 6 , a g o v e r n m e n t - i n d u s t r y

p a r t n e r s h i p r e s u l t e d i n d e v e l op -m e n t o f t h e f ir s t a l l -y e a r r e s or t

facility in the U.K., called Aviemore

C e n t r e . T h e n e w r e s o r t f a ci l it y

i n c lu d e d t h e a r e a ' s f i r s t i n d oo r

s w i m m i n g p o o l a n d i c e a r e n a ,

cinema/theatre, go-kart t rack, and

amusement arcade , and i t became

an instant magnet - especial ly for

y ou t h . I t s m o d e r n a r ch i t e c t u r a l

style was controversial, particularly

as severa l ta l l hote ls are v isual ly

predominant in an otherwise rural

a r e a , a n d t h e r e h a s b e e n la s t i n g

debate over the appropriateness of

some of the recreational activities

as well as the number of bars. In

1978 th e a ccommodation capa city of

t h e A v i e m o r e C e n t r e w a s

approximately 1300 persons in 450

hotel rooms, plus an additional 90

c a r a v a n p i t ch e s . S u b s e q u e n t

additions were in the form of time-

sha re un i t s ( for m ore de t a i l s s ee

Getz, 1981; 1982; 1986).

Tourism quickly came to dominate

the local economy and its influence

spread to the other villages in this

dis t r ic t . Growth in developments

a n d t ou r i s t n u m b e r s wa s

Th e Av ie mo re Ce n t r e - UK 's fi r s t a l l y e a r r e s o r t

fa c i li t y - d e b a t e fo c u s s e d o n i t s c o n t r o v e r s i a l

a r c h i t e c t u r e a n d r e c r e a t i o n a l a c t iv it i e s.


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THE J OURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol. 4, No. 2, DEC. '93 37

exper i enced th rough the 1970s ,

but recessions in the early 1980s

and again in the early 1990s have

h a d a m a j o r i m p a c t o n t h e

industry, resulting in a number of

business failures and considerable

conce rn abou t t ou r i sm ' s fu tu re .

Several bad skiing seasons in the

l a t e 1980s an d ea r ly 1990s a l so

had a negative impact on demand,r e v e a l i n g o n e m a j o r c o s t o f

d e p e n d e n c y o n w e a t h e r a n d

climat e. Even so, in 1993 th e area

r e m a i n s po pu l a r w i t h m a n y

tourists who seek outdoor pursu its

and the quiet atmosphere outside

A viem ore . S e l f -ca t e r ing accom -

m o d a t i o n w a s a m a j o r g r o w t h

sector th rough th e 1980s, and n ew

activities an d pa ckages h ave been

developed for outdoor enthusiasts.

S k i i n g d e m a n d c a n r e b o u n d

quickly with improved snow andweather conditions.

The init ial resort concept was to

provide a l l -weather fac i l i t ies to

complement the outdoor a t t ract i ons

of the area. Nevertheless, over the

year s th e Aviemore Centre s o u g h t

wider and wider market segments

and tried to be an attraction in its

own right. By th e late 1980s th is

strategy was clearly not working,

i n p a r t o w i n g t o o w n e r s h i p

changes , a fa i lure to re inves t in

u p g r a d i n g t h e f a c i l i t y , a n d a

re su l t an t m arked dec l ine in t he

Centre's physical att ractiveness.

In 1986 Stakis bought the Centre

f rom Frase r - H igh land Tour i s t

Ltd. and a year later permanently

c l os e d o n e o f t h e a t t r a c t i o n s -

Santa Claus Land. In 1991 Stakis

permanent ly c losed the Centre ' s

swimming pool, which h ad been

the first public indoor pool in the

d i s t r i c t a n d , d e s p i t e o t h e r s

subsequently buil t in hotels , had

rem a ined the m os t popu la r . B y

1 9 9 2 t h e C e n t r e w a s a l m o s t

ignored in promotional l i terature

for the a rea, whereas in t he 1970s

it dominated. The fortunes of the

Centre were somewhat mat ched by

s e v e r a l o t h e r l a r g e h o t e l s i n

Aviemore which changed owner-

ship or went bankrupt in the first

years of the 1990s. However, the

large hotels in the Centre and in

n e a r b y C o y l u m b r i d g e h a v e

r e m a i n e d fu l l y op e r a t i on a l a n d

the Sco t t i sh Tour i s t B oard , t he

1992 household sur vey consisted of

a mailed survey with postage-free

mailback, drawn from the voters

l i s t s . A 4% ra ndom sa m ple w as

taken from each village and rural

sub-area , c lose ly repl ica t ing th e

1978 sample frame. However, the

pos ta l met hod resul ted in a 40%

response rate (N=79). No obvioussource of response bias has been

d e t e c t e d , b u t s o m e c a u t i o n i s

required when comparing the two

surveys.

Fi nd i ngs of t he 1978 househol dsur vey

M e m b e r s h i p i n g r o u p s w a s

believed to be a key indicator of

social life and leisure preferences.

D a t a w e r e c ol l e ct e d a b o u t a l l

household members, so that some

degree of error likely occurred as

co m p e t i t i v e , a n d w h e n t h e

Aviemore resort property was sold

again in 1992 (to C.L.E.), th e Sta kis

corporation retained ownership of

the hotels. The public, industry and

governm ent w ere a l l hoping tha t

m a jo r r e inves tm en t i n t he r e so r t

would follow this latest ownership

change, but it appeared that major

publ ic sec tor involvement wouldagain be required.

Th e househol d sur veys

I n 1 9 7 8 s e v e r a l s u r v e y s w e r e

conducted by the author, including

a random interview survey of area

h o u s e h o l d s a n d a n o n - r a n d o m

q u e s t i o n n a i r e a d m i n i s t e r e d t o

s t u d e n t s i n t h e t w o l oca l h i gh

s c h o ol s . T h e h o u s e h o l d s u r v e y

obtained a considerable amount of

information on leisure pa ttern s an dpreferences , but the 1992 survey

did not replicat e th e leisur e section.

T h e 1 9 7 8 h o u s e h o l d s a m p l e

c o n s i s t e d o f 1 3 2 h o u s e h o l d s ,

r a n d o m l y s e l e ct e d f r o m d i s t r i ct

property valuation l ists . Four per

cent of households from each village

and rur al sub-area were selected, in

o r d e r t o e n s u r e g e og r a p h i c

representa tiveness. The researcher

a n d s e v e r a l p a i d a s s i s t a n t s

achieved a completion rate of 86%,

w i t h s i n g l e - f e m a l e h o u s e h o l d s

( u s u a l l y o l d e r p e r s o n s ) b e i n g

somewhat u nder-represented due to

refusals to part icipate. Stru ctu red

in t e rv i ews w ere u sed , w ith som e

questions pertaining to household

h e a d s ( s e l f-d e f in e d ) a n d o t h e r s

cove r ing a l l househo ld m em bers

(these included t he leisure-relat ed

s e c t i on s ) . A s e p a r a t e s e l e ct i o n

process was used to obtain a gender

a n d a g e - b a l a n c e d s a m p l e f r o m

within each multi-person household

for completion of sat isfaction and

att itude scales.

C onduc ted un de r t h e au sp ices o f

adults often answered on behalf of

c h i l d r e n o r o t h e r m e m b e r s .

R es iden t s o f t he l a rge r v i l l ages

(except Kingussie) were found to

b e m o r e a c t i v e i n g r o u p s , w i t h

t h o s e i n t h e r e s o r t t o w n of

Aviemore being most active (with

o n l y 1 1 % r e p o r t i n g n o

m e m b e r s h i p s , c om p a r e d t o t h e

distr ict average of 31%). This is

in terpre ted to be a ref lec t ion of

increased opportunity in Aviemore

(arising from more facilities) and

from Aviemore's youn ger a nd more

u r b a n i s e d p o p u l a t i o n w h i c h

stemmed from in-migration.

Not surprisingly, males were more

a c t i v e in g r ou p s t h a n f em a l e s ,

e s p e c ia l l y in s p o r t s , a n d y o u t h

(aged up to 19) and the middle-

aged (30-49) were m ore active th an

other age cohort s. Golf member -

s h i p w a s t h e m o s t p op u l a r , a s

t h e r e a r e g o l f c l u b s a c c e s s i b l e

thr oughout the district. Residents

o f A v i e m o r e d o m i n a t e d i n

swimming and ice-skating groups

(being closest to the only pool and

Th e 1978 an d 1992 su r veys bo th sam pled t h e v i llage

a n d r u r a l -s u b a r e a s r a n d o m l y.


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38 THE JOURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol. 4, No. 2, DEC.'93

tourism. Females visited more than

m a l e s a t m o s t o f t h e p l a c e s o r

even ts . Aviemore r es idents ha d a

much higher rate of visitation than

others, with an average of 7.2 visits

over the previous twelve months ,

compared to the district average of

4.9 (only 4 of 20 events/places were

i n A vi e m o r e ) . T h e t w o m o s t

popular places, Loch an Eilan andLoch Morlich, were known to also

be very popular among tourists for

s igh t see ing , p i cn ick ing , w a lk ing

a n d b o a t i n g , s o j o i n t r e s i d e n t -

tourist use was not a problem.

T r a d i t i o n a l S c o t t i s h H i g h l a n d

p u r s u i t s w e r e e x a m i n e d , e v e n

though t his district ha s h istorically

b e en o r i e n t e d t ow a r d t h e u r b a n

sou th , and f ew er than 5% of t he

p o p u l a t i o n s p o k e t h e G a e l i c

l a n g u a g e b y 1 9 7 1 . T h e r e wa s ad e f i n i t e i n d i c a t i o n t h a t y o u n g

people in the distr ict were taking

part in tra ditional dan ce and mu sic,

revealing a possible revival fuelled

b y t ou r i s t i n t e r e s t i n H i g h l a n d

G am es , new com er a t t i t udes , and

opportunities to perform in tourist

at t ractions. Both tradit ional dance

a n d m u s i c w e r e b e i n g t a u g h t i n

a r e a s c h o o l s . C e i l i d h s , t h e

tra ditional Highland social/musical

gathering, were not well attended.

However, the annual Ceilidh Week

p r o d u c e d b y h o t e l i e r s a n d t h e

co m m u n i t y i n C a r r b r i d ge (n e a r

Aviemore) was a l r eady a popular

tourist attr action.

F ina l ly , r e sponden t s w ere a sked

about anything they disliked in the

d i s t r i c t . A v i e m o r e C e n t r e w a s

singled out (unpr ompted) by man y,

a c c o u n t i n g f o r 5 0 o f 5 9 p l a c e s

m e n t i o n e d . T h i s n e g a t i v e

perception or antagonism towards

the resort was greatest in outlying

villages, and m any r espondents who

appr eciated th e economic benefits of

tourism nevertheless were f irm in

their disl ike of the Centre and i ts

impacts.

In su m m ar y , t he 1978 househo ld

s u r v e y r e ve a l e d m u c h a b o u t t h e

leisure preferences and activities of

S p e y Va l l ey r e s i d e n t s , a n d t h e

pertinent impacts of tourism. There

was considerable use made of new,

tour ism-dependent oppor tuni t ies ,

especial ly in Aviemore. The new

opportunit ies, perhaps in concert

wi th dem onst ra t ion effec ts , were

ch a n g in g t h e l e is u r e p a t t e r n s o f

res idents , and especia l ly of area

yout hs. Differences were observed

between nat ives and newcomers ,

w i t h t h e l a t t e r s e g m e n t s b e i n g

m o r e a c t i v e a n d m o r e p r o n e t o

t a k i n g l e a d e r s h i p p o s i t i o n s .

Residents of Aviemore were morea c t i v e t h a n o t h e r s , s h o w in g t h e

i n f l u e n c e o f p r o x i m i t y , a n d

probably also showing the r esults of

i n - m i g r a t i o n a n d i t s e f f e c t o n

d e m o g r a p h i c s a n d l i f e - s t y l e .

Conflict over resource use was not

fou n d , a n d m a n y j oi n t r e s i d e n t -

tourist facilities, areas and events

existed without problem. However,

m a n y r e s id e n t s w e r e a l r e a d y

unhappy about some of the social

and cul tura l impacts or potent ia l

c o n s e q u e n c e s o f t o u r i s mdevelopment, a nd t he r esort i tself

was resented by many.

Compar i son of sati sfacti on an d

at t i tu des: 1978 and 1992

Respondents were asked to indicate

how sat isfied th ey were with "sport

and recreation", but the scale was

s t ructured in a s l ight ly d i f ferent

way in th e two surveys: in 1978 the

s c a l e w a s 0 t h r o u g h 1 0 ( e l e v e n

points) while in 1992 it contained

on l y t e n p o in t s (1 t h r o u g h t e n ) .

Accordingly, the results have been

grouped into three categories (Low

= 0-3; Medium = 4-6; High = 7- 10)

to permit a direct compa rison. With

regard to "sport and recreation", in

1978 seventeen per cent ranked it

low an d 64% high, whereas in 1992

44% ranked i t low and only 35%

high; a very pronounced reversal.

T h e r e s i d e n t p o p u l a t i o n w a s

th erefore far less sa t i s f ied wi th

sport and recreation facilities, but

the same applied to the facil i t ies

and se rv i ces r e s iden t s f e l t w ere

needed in th eir villages. These two

i t e m s m i g h t b e c o n s i d e r e d s u b -

e l e m e n t s o f t h e i n c r e a s e d d i s -

satisfaction residents felt with "the

way in which the Spey Val ley i s

changing".

An identical battery of twenty-four

attitude statements (on a five-point

Likert scale) was administered in

bo th su rveys , o f wh ich on ly one

ice rink) and in job-related groups.

Asked about leadership posit ions

he ld in g roups , i t w as r evea led

th at newcomers to the dist rict (i.e.,

households with under ten years of

residence) were t he most a ctive.

R e s p on d e n t s w e r e a s k e d t o

ind ica t e t h e pa r t i c ipa t ion of a l l

household members in a list of 22local recrea tion opportu n ities, for

t h e p r e v i o u s t w e l v e m o n t h s .

Aviemore's cinema and swimming

poo l r anked f i r s t and second in

t e rm s o f t o t a l u se by the en t i r e

sample, followed by hill walking.

A viem ore r e sponden t s w ere the

most active (average 4.4 activities

per person, compared to a district

average of 2.4; the list contained 8

o f 2 2 o p p o r t u n i t i e s b a s e d i n

A v i e m o r e ) . M a l e s w e r e a g a i n

found to be more active, especiallyin the traditional outdoor pursuits

of fishing, golf, and shooting, and

i n t h e n e w s p o r t o f go -k a r t i n g

which exis ted only a t Aviemore

Centr e. Fem ales dominat ed in ice

skating, pony trekking, and t ennis.

You th s w ere m os t ac t ive , w h i l e

h i l l -w a lk ing , go l f , go ing to the

cinema (only available in Aviemore

Centre) and live shows (mostly in

Aviem ore C en t r e ) w ere popu la r

with older residents.

Aviemore Centr e was well-used by

residents, as were boating, skiing,

fishing and golfing opportunities -

a l l of w h i ch w e r e s h a r e d w i t h

t o u r i s t s . T h e n a t u r a l s u p p l y o f

outdoor r ecrea t ion oppor t un i t ies

w as h igh , so conf l i ct s w ere no t

severe. Also, tourists were known

t o b e s i g n i f i ca n t u s e r s of l oca l

angling and golf clubs and tourism

w a s c l e a r l y r e s p on s i b l e f or t h e

s k i i n g a n d w a t e r - s p o r t

developments.

Queried about visi tat ion to a l is t

of places and event s in th e district,

r e s p on d e n t s r e v e a l e d a m u c h

higher level of participation than

fo r ac tua l r ec rea t ion ac t iv i t i e s .

T h i s i n d i c a t e d a f a i r l y p a s s i v e

mode for most res idents ' le i sure

pursu its. All the places and events

l i s t e d w e r e k n o w n t o u r i s t

a t t r a c t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g l o c a l

H igh land G am es , pa rks , na tu ra l

a r e a s a n d m u s e u m s , a l t h o u g h

many do not owe their existence to


7/12


d e v el op m e n t a r o u n d 1 9 8 2 a n d a

s u b s e q u e n t l e s s e n i n g o f i n -

migration.

Table 2 compares 1978 and 1992

results on t he question: "What are

y ou r t h r e e f a v ou r i t e r e c r e a t i o n

pursu its in this distr ict"? The two

m o s t f r e q u e n t l y c i t e d a c t i v i t i e s

(swimming and ski ing) remainedthe same, while two others clearly

dropped in popularity (fishing and

s h o o t i n g ) a n d s e v e r a l g a i n e d

(cycling, social ising, going to the

ci n e m a , t e n n i s a n d s k a t i n g ).

C l e a r l y t h e t o u r i s m - r e l a t e d

opportunities continue to dominate,

including the addition of mountain

biking in recent years , which h as

great ly e levated the popular i ty of

cycl ing . The d r op in f ish ing an d

shoot ing seem s to r e fl ect a m ore

u r b a n l e i s u r e a t t i t u d e , o r asubstitution of newer opportunities

f o r t r a d i t i o n a l o n e s . F e m a l e s

c o n t i n u e t o f a v o u r s w i m m i n g ,

s k a t i n g , w a l k i n g , d a n c i n g a n d

socialising much more than males,

a n d m a l e s co n t i n u e t o d om i n a t e

many of the sports . However, the

gender gap in skiing is gone, which

may be attributable at least in part

to school program s.

In both surveys lists of places and

a c t i v i t i e s w e r e p r o v i d e d , a n d

s t u d e n t s w e r e a s k e d t o in d i ca t e

"which of these p laces you have

v i s i t e d , a n d w h i c h o f t h e s e

act iv i t ies have you done, in th is

d i s t r i c t , d u r i n g t h e p a s t t w e l v e

months" (s tudents were asked to

write an S beside those done only

as pa r t o f a s choo l p rogram and

t h o s e w e r e e x c l u d e d f r o m t h e

following an alysis). The lists wereidentical, consisting of 24 activities

at specific places, or of places where

t h e a s s o c i a t e d a ct i vi t y w a s

obvious.

Table 3 compares the results from

e a c h s u r v e y , r e v e a l i n g t h e

durability of cinema-going and the

a m u s e m e n t a r c a d e i n A v i e m o r e

Centre. I t should be kept in mind

tha t t hese tw o r em a in dom inan t

despite the fact that the number of

s t u d e n t s f r om A v i e m o r e w a shigher in the 1992 survey. Skating

at Aviemore Centre increased in

popularity, but th e swimming pool

a n d S a n t a C l a u s L a n d w e r e

permanent ly c losed by 1992. An

increase in visitation to Landmark

V i s i t o r C e n t r e c a n l i k e l y b e

e x p la i n e d b y i t s a d d i t i on o f a n

a d v e n t u r e p la y a r e a a n d ot h e r

attractions over the years. As noted

i n t h e a n a l y s i s o f H o u s e h o l d

Survey results , and revealed here

a s w e l l , r e s i d e n t s ' l e i s u r e

p rov ides an ins igh t on chang ing

p e r c e p t i o n s o f l e is u r e . T h e

s t a t em en t w as : " Tour i sm can be

th an ked for bringing good facilities

to this area". In 1978 ther e was a

d e g r e e o f c o n s e n s u s a m o n g

respondents, of whom 84 were in

agreement, 21 were uncertain an d

23 w ere in d i sag reem en t . In t he

1992 survey, only 20 respondentsagreed, compared to 18 uncertain

and 25 in disagreement.

Th e stu dent sur veys

T h e s t u d e n t s u r v e y w a s m o r e

focused than the larger Household

s u r v e y a n d a l l o w s m o r e

l on g i t u d i n a l a n a l y s is o f l e is u r e

issues. However, not all quest ions

were identical in the 1978 an d 1992

s u r v e y s , a n d w h i l e t h e s a m p l e s

were very s imi lar , they were notidentical. In both cases teachers or

p r i n c i p a l s w e r e a s k e d t o ob t a i n

q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e s p o n s e s f r o m

students in c lass , so the samples

w e r e n ot r a n d om a n d t h e t ot a l

population of student s u nknown.

Average age of th e respondent s was

almost ident ica l : in 1978 N = 77

and average age = 15.36 years; in

1 9 9 2 N = 9 6 a n d a v e r a g e a g e =

1 5 . 5 5) . H ow e v er , t h e a g e r a n g e

dif fered (1978: 14-17, inc lus ive;1992: 15-18). In 197 8, 53% of t he

sam ple w ere m a les , com par ed to

exactly 50% in 1992.

The Grantown school covers all of

the north of the distr ict while the

K i n g u s s i e H i g h S c h o o l t a k e s

s tu den t s f rom Aviem ore and the

sou th - t h i s w as u ncha nged ove r

the interval. In 1978 sixty per cent

of the respondents were from the

G r a n t o w n s c h o ol , b u t i n 1 9 9 2

6 2 . 5 % w e r e f r o m t h e K i n g u s s i e

school. This imba lan ce should be

remembered when interpreting the

d a t a , a s n o w ei g h t i n g h a s b e e n

attempted.

In ter ms of birt hplace, 80.5% of the

students in the 1978 sample were

born in Scotland, compared to 78%

in 1992. It was also revealed that

respondents in 1992 had l ived in

th e district longer, on average, tha n

t h e 1 9 7 8 s a m p l e , w i t h f e w e r i n

1992 be ing r ecen t a r r iva l s . Th i s

probably stem s from th e peak ing of

Table 2: Th ree Favourite Recreation Pursu its in th e District: 1979 and 1992 S tud ent

Surveys.

N u m b e r o f M e n t i o n s

R ecr e a t ion 1978 (n = 77) 1992 (n = 96)

P u r su i t s m a le fe m a le r a n k m a le fe m a le r a n k

Swimming 9 17 1 9 26 1

Skiing 14 6 2 11 12 2

Walking/Hillwalking 3 16 3 4 11 5

Golfing 13 5 4 14 2 4

Fishing 14 1 5 5 0 11

Football 12 0 6 12 1 7Ice Skat ing 2 8 7 3 11 6

Dancing/Disco 1 9 7 1 7 9

Shooting 8 0 8 0 1 14

Badminton 3 4 9 2 4 10

Canoeing/Sa iling 4 3 9 4 0 12

Shinty 6 0 10 5 0 11

Tennis 3 3 10 4 0 12

Cinema 2 3 11 2 9 8

Horse Riding 0 4 12 0 3 13

Cycling 1 3 12 6 15 3

Socialising 0 4 13 4 9 7

Squash 3 1 13 1 0 14

Other 16 14 - 36 11 -

Tot a l 114 101 - 123 122 -


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40 THE JOURNAL OF TOURISM STUDIES Vol. 4, No. 2, DEC.'93

A decline in f ishing and shooting

equ ipm en t w as the m os t no tab le

change , and i t r e f l ec t s a gene ra l

d e cr e a s e i n p o p u l a r i t y of t h e s e

tradit ional Highland pursuits . Ski

ownership r emained consta nt. Some

o f t h e i t e m s w e r e d o m i n a t e d b y

m a l e s , n a m e l y f i s h i n g , g o l f i n g ,

s k i i n g , s h o o t i n g , t e n t s ,

s h i n t y / f o o t b a l l , m o t o r c y c l e a n d

aut os (shinty is a tra ditional Gaelic

s p o r t s i m i l a r t o f i e l d h o c k e y ) .

Females dominated only in terms of

a c c es s t o t h e f i d d l e a n d c a n o e .

When cross-tabulated by school, it

was foun d th at ice ska tes, golf clubs

and shinty/football gear were much

more common among the Kingussie

students.

Membership in groups and clubs is

a n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t i n d i ca t o r o f

leisure pa ttern s an d preferences. In

both surveys students were asked:

"Please write in t he na mes of all the

clubs, teams, or other organisations

that you belong to in this distr ict

(do no t i nc lude schoo l g roups ) . "

E x a m p l e s w e r e l i s t e d o n t h e

ins t rument , but t here were fewer

listed in the 1992 survey.

" Y o u t h c l u b s " s h o w e d a m a j o r

i n c r e a s e , e v i d e n t l y d u e t o a n

observed increase in the number of

clubs in t h e d i s t r i ct . O vera l l , i n

1978 males mentioned more clubs

t h a n fe m a l e s a n d d o m i n a t e d i nspor t s and you th clubs . Fem ales

dominated only in badminton and

t e n n i s . Go lf, c u r l i n g a n d s h i n t y

w e r e m o r e p o p u l a r a m o n g

Kingussie students, who were more

active overall.

P e r h a p s m o s t r e v ea l i n g of t h e

inform at ion collected concerned th e

stu dent s' opinions on wh at facilities

were needed in the district. In 1978

they were asked: "What 3 facilities

for young people do you think thisa r e a n e e d s ? R a n k i n o r d e r o f

importance". In 1992 the question

was worded: "Wha t fac i li t ies for

youn g people do you th ink t his ar ea

n e e d s ? " . I n T a b l e 4 t h e m o s t

frequently mentioned facilities are

listed, showing gender differences.

The number of times each facility

w as m en t ioned , i t s r ank and the

p e r c e n t a g e o f r e s p o n d e n t s

m e n t i on i n g t h e f a c il i t y a r e a l s o

tabulated.

Although "youth clubs" diminished

i n r a n k , t h e r e i s i n d i c a t e d a

c on s t a n t d e s i r e f or m or e y o u t h -

o r ie n t e d op p o r t u n i t ie s s u c h a s

discos and spor ts . C losur e of th e

Aviemore Centre pool was clearly a

b l ow t o h i g h - s c h o ol e r s , a s t h e y

r a n k e d p o o l s h i g h e s t . B o w l i n g

appears in the 1992 l ist , and this

could r elate to pu blicity concernin g

a p r o p o s a l f o r i n c o r p o r a t i n g

bowling in plann ing for a revam ped

A v i e m o r e C e n t r e . G i r l s i n

p a r t i c u l a r f e l t t h a t a l a c k o f

mobil i ty hindered their leisure in

1978, but by 1992 area-wide bus

service ha d increased.

A s a g e n e r a l m e a s u r e o f

s a t i s f a c t i o n , s t u d e n t s i n b o t h

surveys were asked if they agreed,

disagreed (or had no opinion) that:

"The Spey Valley is a good place in

w h i c h t o g r o w u p " . I n t h e 1 9 7 8

sample fully 90% agreed with t he

s ta tement , but in 1992 only 69%

agreed. Furthermore, in 1978 sixty-

opportunit ies in Spey Valley co-

e x i s t w i t h p o p u l a r t o u r i s t

v e n u e s .

Respondents were then asked to

indicate if they l iked or disl iked

any of the places in pa rticular, and

t o g i ve r e a s o n s . I n 1 9 7 8 m o s t

s t u d e n t s d i d n o t m e n t i o n a n y

d i s l i k e s , b u t a f ew s i n g l e d o u t

A v i e m o r e C e n t r e , s p e c i f i c a l l y

S a n t a C la u s L a n d ( 8 m e n t i on s )

a n d t h e a m u s e m e n t a r c a d e (3

m e n t i on s ) . I n 1 9 9 2 t h e r e w e r e

m a n y m o r e p l a c e s d i s l i k e d ( 3 8

ment ions) and Aviemore Centre

t o o k t h e b r u n t o f c o m p l a i n t s .

Clearly its image in the minds of

l o c a l y o u t h s h a s d e t e r i o r a t e d

greatly.

Another mea sur e of preference and

o p p o r t u n i t y i s t h e r e c r e a t i o n a l

e q u i p m e n t a v a i l a b l e t o

respondents. In both surveys they

w ere a sked : " Which o f t hese ( a

provided list of items) do you own

or have regular use of at home?".

Table 3: Places Visited and Activities Done Within Past Twelve Months (excluding

school programs): 1978 and 1992 St ud ent S urveys.

N u m b e r o f Ti m e s M e n t i o n e d

P la ce /Ac t iv it y 1978 1992

(n =77) R a n k (n =96) R a n k

Aviemore Centre, cinema 68 1 92 1

Aviemore Cent re, arcade 60 2 78 2

Highland Wildlife Park 45 3 37 8

Aviemore Centre, swimming pool 44 4 closed

Av. Ct ., Santa Claus Land 35 5 closedAviemore Cent re, skat ing 34 6 72 3

Loch an Eilan 33 7 48 6

Landmark Visitor Centre, 33 7 57 4

Carrbridge

Swimming at Loch Morlich 30 8 50 5

Aviemore Centre, dancing 29 9 36 9

Skiing at Cairngorm 28 10 50 5

Aviemore Centre, go-kar t ing 26 11 32 10

RSPB Osprey Hide, L. Gar ten 23 12 20 14

Inverdruie fish fa rm 21 13 38 7

Highland Folk Museum, 20 14 28 12

Kingussie

Aviemore Centre, cur ling 16 15 14 15

Sa iling/canoeing, L. Morlich 13 16 30 11

Aviemore Centre, squash 13 16 14 15

Cra igellachie nature t ra ils, 12 17 28 12

Aviemore

Steam Railway Museum, 11 18 27 13

Boat of Gart en

Clan Macpherson Museum, 8 19 11 16

Newtonmore

Loch Insh RSPB reserve 8 19 11 16

Canoeing, River Spey 7 20 37 8

Orienteer ing, Glen More 1 21 11 16


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The Aviemore Centre was generally

appreciated in 1978, but th ere were

m a n y w h o r e s en t e d t h e co n ce n -

tra t ion of opportunit ies th ere, and

the cost of using or getting to them.

A l c o h o l w a s p e r c e i v e d t o b e a

p r o b l e m , p a r t l y b e c a u s e o f i t s

abuse, and partly because students

under the age of 18 could not get

into licensed pu bs and da nces.

I n 1 9 9 2 s t u d e n t s w e r e a s k e d t o

write a few l ines on the question:

"What are your v iews on tour ism

a n d l e i s u r e i n A v i e m o r e ? " .

C o m m e n t s r e v e a l e d a m a r k e d

i n c r e a s e i n n e g a t i v e a t t i t u d e s

toward the r e sor t and t ow ard the

tour ism indust ry and i t s impacts .

For example, one respondent wrote:

"Leisure i s rubbish , the cent re i s

run down. The re shou ld be m ore

thin gs t o do." Another comm ented:"Disgus ted tha t tour is t s come up

here and take over." Lack of things

t o d o f o r y o u n g p e o p l e w a s a

d o m i n a n t t h e m e , a l t h o u g h n o t

everyone was completely negative:

"It is growing more and more but

whether i t i s good or bad for the

area I 'm not sure. The environment

is ge t t ing wrecked but then local

people are benef i t t ing because of

more jobs and also local shops are

b u s i e r ". A n u m b e r of s t u d e n t s

sugges t ed th a t im prov ing l ei su reo p po r t u n i t i e s w ou l d h e l p t h e m ,

while also att racting more tourists.

C o n c lu s io n s

The Spey Val ley case provides a

clear lesson for tourism planners.

W hen n ew , the l e i su r e fac i l it i e s

p l ea s e d t h e r u r a l r e s i d e n t s a n d

g e n e r a t e d c o n s i d e r a b l e o p p o r -

tu nities for an improved life-style.

The r e sor t , a nd t he jobs tou r i sm

create d, were greatly a ppreciated.

But reinvestment in the facil i t ies

did not occur, and when combined

with t wo recessions a nd poor skiing

condi t ions , the Aviemore Centredeclined substantial ly. Residents,

a n d p a r t i c u l a r l y t e e n a g e r s , f e l t

be t rayed by the c los ing and run-

down condition of leisure facilities

a n d b e c a m e c y n i c a l a b o u t t h e

industry. This disillusionment was

a l s o r e f l e c t e d i n a m a r k e d l y

increased pr eferen ce for leaving the

d i s t r i c t f o l l o w i n g h i g h - s c h o o l

grad ua tion (Getz, 1994).

F r o m t h e r e v i e w o f r e l a t e d

literat ure and the Spey Valley casestudy the major potential impacts

of tourism on residents' leisure can

be iden tified.

1) Development brings (or justifies

publ ic provis ion of) new and

b e t t e r r e c r ea t i o n a l , cu l t u r a l

a n d e n t e r t a i n m e n t fa c il it i e s

w h i c h r e s i d e n t s c a n u s e .

Growth of the local population

a n d r e l a t e d i n f r a s t r u c t u r e i s

likely to be accompanied by new

or bet ter publ ic faci l it ies a ndleisure services.

2 ) As a coro ll a ry of (1 ), t ou r i sm

can r esult in the tr ansforma tion

of exis t ing oppor tuni t ies in to

tour i s t -or i en t ed f aci l it i e s , o r

r e s u l t i n t h e co n s t r u c t i on o f

new opport un ities which cater

only to certain types of users,

t h e r e b y r e s u l t i n g i n t h e

exclus ion o f ce r t a in r e s iden t

groups (e.g., yout h or fam ilies).

3) T h r ou g h t h e d em on s t r a t i on

e f fe c t , or t h r o u g h t h e d i r e c t

i n f l u e n c e of w or k i n g i n t h e

industry (such as a guide or ski

instru ctor), residents a dopt new

l e i s u r e p r e f e r e n c e s a n d

p u r s u i t s , wi t h r e s u lt a n t l ife -

style shifts. This could result in

the abandonment of traditions,

a l t h o u g h e i t h e r c o m m o d i t i -

z a t i o n o r r e v i t a l i z a t i o n o f

traditions can occur. Changing

at t i tudes in genera l a r e l ikely

t o r e f l e c t u r b a n i s a t i o n

s i x p e r c e n t a g r e e d w i t h t h e

sta temen t: "I would not wan t t o live

he re a l l m y l i f e " , w h i l e i n 1992

those agreeing had r i sen to 78%.

G r a n t o w n s t u d e n t s w e r e m o r e

n e g a t i v e t h a n t h o s e f r o m

Kingussie.

In the 1978 survey students were

a s k e d t o "w r i t e a s h o r t c om p o -sition...concerning your opinions on

the Spey Val ley" . Students were

ins t ru c t ed to m en t ion "good and

bad points of l iv ing in th is area ,

and what could be done to make it

a b e t t e r a r e a t o l i v e i n " . T h e

general tone of the comments was

p o s i t i v e , w i t h t o u r i s m b e i n g

r e c o g n i s e d a s a b e n e f i t t o t h e

district in terms of jobs and leisure

o p p o r t u n i t i e s . O n e r e s p o n d e n t

wrote: ".. .it is a very good area to

live in because Aviemore is not fara w a y a n d y ou c a n g o t h e r e

whenever you like if you have the

t r a n s p o r t . . . ". An o t h er s t u d e n t

s a i d : " T h e S p e y V a l l e y i s a

pleasant place to live and to work.

It is not commercialised nor does it

s u f f e r f r o m u n e m p l o y m e n t

problems." Access to the outdoors

and a beaut i fu l countrys ide were

also much appreciated.

Negative points were seen to be the

l ack o f adequa te t r anspor t a t ion ,high costs , and lack of things for

young people to do in the evenings.

A related negative comment was:

"There is not really enough social

events for the teenagers and they

have to go to the pub and become

alcoholics before t hey a re 19".

Table 4: Facilities Need ed f or Youn g People (m ost frequent m entions): 1978 and

1992 Student S urveys.

N u m b e r o f M e n t i o n s

1978 (n =77) 1992 (n =96)

Su gges t ion s M F R a n k M F R a n k

Youth clubs (more or bet t er ) 8 10 1 4 10 4

Discos (more, non-alcoholic) 8 9 2 16 29 2

Transpor t (bet ter or cheaper) 3 7 3 0 3 9

Spor t s facilit ies or clubs 7 3 3 25 20 2

More facilit ies out side Aviemore 2 6 4 - -

(or in t he other villages)

Community cent res (more or bet ter ) 3 3 5 4 2 8

Cinema out side Aviemore 0 5 6 3 5 7

Ska teboard t rack 4 1 6 1 1 10

Swimming pool (outside Aviemore) 3 1 7 24 29 1

Evening act ivit ies/bet t er hours 1 2 8 2 8 6

Better shops for locals 2 1 8 7 5 5

Bowling (male and female combined) - - - 18 3


10/12


11/12


view. Consta nt upgrading and new

att ractions or services ar e needed to

keep a resort competit ive. Aviemore

Centre shows the product life cycle

a t work , with the resor t growing,

m a tu r ing and dec l in ing ove r t he

1 9 6 6 -1 9 9 2 p e r i od , e v e n t h o u g h

t o u r is m i n t h e d i st r i ct r e m a i n s

d o m i n a n t a n d s h o w s g r ow t h i n

cer ta in sec tors . I f the resor t had

b e e n b u i lt a n d m a n a g e d w it h

residents in m ind - perhaps subject

to a degree o f pub l i c con t ro l o r

sha ring - the evolut ion of th e resort

and i t s impacts might have been

quite different .

pay for using them. Joint tourist-

r e s i d e n t f a ci li t i e s a r e r e q u i r e d ,

especially in rural and small-town

ar eas, so public-privat e fina ncing is

a goo d s t r a t e g y . R e s i d e n t u s e

m i g h t a c t u a l ly h a v e t o b e

p r o gr a m m e d , r a t h e r t h a n l e ft t o

market forces.

Dispersal of facil i t ies throughoutthe district was strongly desired in

Spey Val ley . Most new fac il i t ies

were built in Aviemore, so in 1978

t h e i r u s e r e q u i r e d m o b i l i t y a n d

m o n e y t h a t m a n y r e s i d en t s -

e s p e c ia l l y y ou t h s a n d f em a l e s -

l a c k e d . B y 1 9 9 2 a n u m b e r of

leisure facilities had been located

outside Aviemore , but n ot always

with residents in mind. Swimming

poo l s i n ho te l s do no t gene ra l ly

meet resident needs.

Age, gender an d length -of-residence

d i ffe r e n c e s w i t h i n t h e r e s i d e n t

p o p u l a t i o n m u s t b e c o n s i d e r e d .

Y o u t h s a r e a f f e c t e d q u i t e

differently, owing to a variety of

factors which might include: lack of

mobi l i ty ; need for non-a lcohol ic

social opportunit ies; quickness to

take up new leisure opportunities;

e a s e o f b o r e d o m , a n d l a c k o f

pur chasing power. Fema les have

quite different leisure preferences

a n d p a t t e r n s , a l t h o u g h i n S p e yValley the skiing activity of male

and fem a le h igh school s tu den t s

was similar . Older pers ons were

foun d to be less active in sports an d

to prefer quieter and more passive

f or m s o f l e i s u r e . T r a d i t i o n a l

pursuits appealed more to locally

born fam ilies.

The t ype o f t ou r i s t deve lopm en t

a p p r o p r i a t e f o r a r e s i d e n t

population will relat e, in pa rt , to its

p o t e n t i a l b e n e f i t s f or r e s i d e n t s '

leisure. Development which foster s

n e w c h o i c e s , m a x i m i s e s

acces s ib i l i t y and use , conse rves

t r a d i t i o n s a n d a l l o w s h o s t s a n d

g u e s t s t o e xp e r i e n ce m u t u a l ly

beneficial interaction will achieve

higher local support and therefore

be more susta inable.

Final ly , the decl ine of Aviemore

C en t r e d e m on s t r a t e s t h e r i s k of

d e p e n d e n c e o n a s i n g l e r e s o r t

facility, both as a tourism strategy

and f rom the r e s iden t s ' po in t o f

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