Heather J Gibson

University of Florida | UF · Department of Tourism Recreation and Sport Management

Tourism aims to enhance community quality of life, but its impacts can be positive and/or negative by community. Under increasing uncertainty from multiple crises, this study links tourism sectors with the concepts of community resilience and quality of life to support sustainable development. We examined how community resilience spatially mediates...

There is increasing interest in exploring how education abroad can contribute to enhancing sustainable behaviors. We adopted a functional approach to autobiographical memory to investigate the relationship between the directive function of study abroad memories (directing travel behavior, and directing life trajectory) and sustainable tourist behav...

Scholarship in sport tourism began to gather speed in the late 1990s. Initially attention was on defining sport tourism and the economic impact of sport events. Calls to move scholarship from largely descriptive case studies to a theoretically informed body of work manifested in various ways. This chapter chronicles some of the developments in spor...

The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Society features leading international scholars’ assessments of scholarly inquiry about sport and society. Divided into six sections, chapters consider dominant issues within key areas, approaches (theory and method) featured in inquiry, and debates needing resolution. Part I: Society and Values considers matters of...

The challenge of simultaneously providing outdoor recreation opportunities while protecting the public from SARS-COV-2 virus and COVID-19 transmission, as well as future pandemics, remains foremost on managers' minds. Safe spaces and cultures are paramount for managers and visitors alike. Recommended protective measures against COVID-19 included ph...

A group of researchers came together during the COVID-19 pandemic to conduct an observational study on trail use behaviour. The purpose of this paper is not to report on the trail data collected, but to reflect on the research process during an unprecedented time. Specifically, the objectives of the paper are to identify challenges and tensions of...

The emergence of Coronavirus 19 led to societal and behavioral changes, including intensified use of many public parks and trails for mental respite and leisure time physical activity. As visitors sought stress-relief in the great outdoors, they also encountered stressful situations as they navigated risk exposure. Recommendations to physically dis...

Youth sport tourism has grown into a distinct travel segment over the past decade. While communities have invested in sport tourism initiatives, building dedicated sports facilities and competing to host tournaments, little academic attention has been paid to understanding the travel planning and decision-making associated with youth sport families...

In an attempt to maintain social connection with a large lecture-style class, this teaching case describes how we used the Zoom Break-out Room function to run live discussion groups during fall 2020. Using a combination of Google Docs, Canvas, and Zoom one instructor and one TA describe how they managed to run discussions on contemporary tourism is...

Unlabelled: Public green spaces provide physical and mental respite, which have become essential and elevated services during the COVID-19 pandemic. As visitation to public parks and recreation areas increased during the pandemic, the challenge of maintaining visitor safety and protecting environmental resources was exacerbated. A key visitor safe...

Background Leisure time physical activity (LTPA) provides both health benefits and risks, particularly during a pandemic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant increases in close-to-home LTPA raised concerns for public health and land managers alike. This project illustrates a novel, integrated monitoring approach to estimating COVID-19 risk ex...

Use of urban trails and other green space during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic reached record highs around the world. Although the use of these resource amenities has been documented to have several physical and mental health benefits, the density of their use during the pandemic required managers to issue guidance and/or use-requiremen...

Using study abroad as a vehicle for sustainable education is a growing trend. However, an ex-amination of the impact of study abroad on participants’ sustainability-related attitudes and behaviors years after their programs is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore how a short-term sustainability themed study abroad program imp...

Since 2007, the University of Florida has hosted summer field-based, sustainability-focused study abroad programs in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of these study abroad programs on change of major and subsequent career choice. Program alumni (2007-2019) completed an online questionnaire. N=94...

This study explored women snow-sport tourists’ destination attribute preferences in relation to their participation level (e.g. skill; sport career stage) through a complementary sequential mixed-methods approach. Initially, a model illustrating a trajectory of snow-sport participation, travel behavior and preferences was created through qualitativ...

International retirement migration (IRM) is a growing phenomenon linked to increased longevity, early retirement, and improved financial status. Encompassing both travel and leisure experiences, IRM is a topic relevant to both tourism and leisure studies. By analysing the fictional movie series The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012) and The Second B...

Positive psychology provides an approach to understand different aspects of tourist's well-being. This study investigated the wellbeing associated with snow-sport tourism among women. As part of a larger mixed-methods study, the utility of the PERMA framework (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) as a tool for m...

Participation in active leisure such as skiing and snowboarding can enhance physical and psychological health throughout life. The purpose of this study was to explore snow-sports participation experiences among women who exhibit a commitment to these sports with a focus on well-being outcomes. Thirteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were cond...

The purpose of this study was to examine parental values associated with children’s participation in organized sports, how these values are shaped by social class, race and age, and the influence of elite-level involvement in youth sport on family life. Data were collected by questionnaire in person from parents who were attending three youth sport...

Girlfriend getaways (GGA) have grown in popularity over the past decade. Researchers have examined the motivations and experiences of women taking these trips, but have paid little attention to their hospitality needs outside of Asia. The purpose of this study was to examine the hospitality needs and preferences of U.S. GGA participants. A sample o...

Hosting sport events to raise money for charitable causes has become pervasive, yet we know little about why individuals choose to participate or not. This study examined the differences between participants and nonparticipants of a hallmark small-scale charity running event. Data were collected via an online survey containing measures of charity e...

This chapter describes the development of scholarship in sport tourism from the 1990s. While some of the earliest scholars were women, the authors document the lack of a feminist analysis in sport tourism research. Much of the early work was devoted to defining sport tourism, with a general consensus that sport-related travel comprises both active...

Nostalgia in sport tourism is increasingly understood as multifaceted. Early conceptualizations of nostalgia may be inadequate in explaining contemporary sport tourism. Utilising an organized tour of the 2011 Tour de France, a hybrid experience combining active cycling with passive spectating, interviews were conducted with 13 tour participants and...

As the Chinese population ages, concerns are raised over the wellbeing of its elderly. Leisure has been shown to play a significant role in the physical and psychological wellbeing of older adults (Broughton et al, 2016; Heo et al, 2010), yet not all older adults have access to leisure (Liechty & Genoe, 2013). This study explored the constraints th...

Despite criticism of their outcomes, students are increasingly participating in short-term study abroad programs. This study used transformative learning theory (TLT) to investigate the effects of program type and length on transformative learning (TL), and in particular explore the impact of experiential learning components on TL. Students from a...

This reported study was designed to examine the beliefs and perceptions of adolescents on whether or not viewing violence on television contributes to an increase in adolescents’ abilities to learn aggressive attitudes and behaviors. It also explored the effects humor and satire used in the animated television series The Simpsons has on adolescents...

This paper highlights a study which used an ecological perspective to explore and identify various risk and protective factors that might influence sexual activity in adolescence and emerging adulthood, with a particular emphasis on the unique experiences of athletes. A sample of 437 undergraduate students completed a questionnaire consisting of th...

Utilizing a social worlds perspective, the study examined active sport event travel career progression in the sport of cycling. Event travel careers are considered potentially lifelong patterns of travel to participate in events that evolve through stages with distinct behaviors and motivations. Quantitative methods were used to test tenets of an i...

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a mega sport event has the potential to bring the nation together by increasing the importance of national identity and decreasing the importance of ethnic identity on the outcome of social cohesion. Instead of replicating prior work that has performed mean score comparisons of national identity, eth...

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of travel conditions on preferred destination, event, and travel characteristics in the context of Active-Sport-Event Travel Carers among cyclists who travel to take part in events. Travel conditions are circumstances surrounding a trip such as travel with family or the length of travel. A sampl...

Free access to the paper until July 11, 2015 via http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1R3~-xTbMWKuI This study offers an empirical application of the tripartite model of context, likelihood, and consequences for understanding risk in tourism among young women engaging in sexual risk-taking. Data, collected via an online survey (N = 853; mean age of 23.5...

This study investigated young women’s perceptions of sexual risk in leisure travel contexts with the purpose of developing a measurement scale for sexual risk taking in tourism. Perceived dimensions of sexual risk taking and the differences across sexual sensation-seeking propensity levels were explored. The data were collected using an online surv...

Link to a free download of the article: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/bCz45Gg8wndExmYppJgb/full Women’s sexual behaviour in leisure-travel contexts is an under-researched area. Most attention has focused on commercial forms of sex/romance tourism. The purpose of this study was to address women’s sexual behaviour in tourism, with both steady an...

In the realm of women's travel, while the accommodation experiences and preferences of female business travellers have been investigated, little is known about the female leisure-traveller in this regard. This study investigates one of the growth sectors in women's travel – girlfriend getaways (GGAs), which are holidays taken by females with other...

Tourist experiences have been conceptualized as heterotopias, and liminoid contra-normative settings offering a license for thrills, situational disinhibition, and sexual experimentation. The purpose of this study was to explore the links between tourism and young women's sexual behavior, focusing on their perceptions of sexual risk-taking in touri...

Using the event-travel-career concept, this study examined the trajectory of active-sport-event travel careers through stages of development and the corresponding factors and dimensions perceived to influence career progression in the sport of cycling. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 12 amateur cyclists engaged in lifestyles...

Governments have historically classified their populations according to race and ethnicity, which has been done to either exert power over minority groups or ensure equality among these groups. However, viewing ones racial identity through a historical lens raises doubts about the validity of race as a social construct, since the concept has seldom...

As leisure studies and higher education more generally embrace the themes of sustainability and global citizenship, it is important to investigate educational initiatives that purport to achieve these goals. Using transformational theory of transformative learning, this study examined the experiences of 150 US university students who participated i...

Destination marketers increasingly rely on the official tourism website as an early point of contact with potential tourists. This research examined the effect of Uganda’s official tourism website on interest in traveling to Uganda, travel motivations, and travel constraints. Novelty preference and gender were included as moderators. A two group ra...

For a number of years, economists have questioned the aggregate economic value of mega sporting events, arguing that fiduciary benefits rarely materialize for host cities and/or nations. In response, governments have made stronger claims about social impacts derived from such events [e.g., Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Wo...

This study explored girlfriend getaways (all-women leisure-based travel), focusing on the importance and meaning of such experiences and their potential contribution to women’s overall well-being. Data collection involved 11 focus groups and 15 individual interviews, resulting in a sample of 83 women from diverse backgrounds. The data were analyzed...

Work Shop: Impacts and strategic outcomes from non-mega sport events for local communities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meanings of retirement and leisure for older women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 women aged between 58 and 83 years. Grounded theory method with Constant Comparison was used in the interviews and analysis (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). Five themes associated with the meaning of retire...

Recently, much attention has been given to participation in high risk sport and recreation activities. Psychologists attribute participation to innate personality traits and sociologists suggest that social structure is influential. This paper adopts a life span perspective to investigate patterns of preference for a leisure-based tourist role call...

This study investigated the place of leisure and role responsibilities of working parents in the establishment period of the family life cycle in the late 1990s. One focus of this study was to see how much had changed in the patterns of family life and leisure as documented in the studies of the mid 1980s and early 1990s compared with today. Person...

The purpose of the study was to explore the role of mega-event impacts on perceived satisfaction with quality of life and support among South African residents before and after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Limited research has empirically tested whether quality of life (QOL) is perceived as an exchange benefit that facilitates resident support of mega-...

Research about women and leisure has grown consistently over the past 30 years. This paper extends four previous integrative reviews about research content regarding women's leisure. Research articles appearing from 2006-2010 in selected major English language research journals were analyzed through an integrative review to ascertain patterns and t...

Few attempts have been made to find out if the loyalty process for residents and tourists in the context of cultural festivals is the same. This study investigated the influence of involvement on satisfaction as factors contributing to the likelihood of returning to an annual festival for residents and tourists. A sample of 412 attendees of a cultu...

As a freely chosen activity intended to generate pleasure and enjoyment, sex is an important human experience associated with a sense of “normality” and well-being. However, depression and antidepressants are typically associated with decreased libido and diminished sexual functioning. Drawing upon netnography and constructivist grounded theory, th...

Many people regard travel as an integral part of their leisure and work lives. Flying from A to B, hopping on and off a train, taking a road trip, and setting sail on a cruise offer the promise of excitement and escape from daily routines. Tourism, however, is not only an industry that enables travel, but is a social phenomenon influenced by socio-...

Scholars have suggested that small-scale sports events may be a sustainable form of tourism development for communities (e.g., Higham, 1999). The purpose of this study was to examine six small-scale sports events and the work of a local sports commission in the context of the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. Sma...

The interplay of psychological needs with life course stage has been used to understand how choice of tourist activities and behaviours may change with age. Adopting a constructivist, woman-sensitive approach and grounded theory, this study explored the influence of needs and life stage in the context of girlfriend getaways - women taking vacations...

Countering the trend that sport participation decreases with age, there are a number of physically active mid and later life adults who take part in sports events. This study investigated involvement in cycling and benefits sought by participants of an organized bicycle tour. Life cycle and gender analyses were used to frame the study of 417 partic...

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires cities that bid for the Olympic Games to formulate a legacy strategy. This case follows a sport professional tasked with developing an Olympic bid for their city. Specifically, the case considers various legacy outcomes including: destination image, tourism, cost, venues, housing, and social legaci...

Youth sport events provide communities with an influx of families who travel to provide their children with primary sport experiences. Decisions to participate in these ‘sport-cations’ are influenced by overall perceptions about the event, opportunities for socializing, and norms derived from family and friends’ support. The study aimed to understa...

Effects of a travel website on tourists' destination images were examined. The relationship between information search using websites and destination image was studied. In addition, the validity of experimental design as a method for examining destination image was explored. A static-group comparison design was conducted using two sets of students...

Africa is generally perceived by those living outside the continent as a risky destination for tourism. Many factors influence this perception, some real and some imagined. South Africa is the continent's leading international tourism destination and to maintain this industry it must manage perceptions of travel-related risk which can negatively in...

A nation's image is an important component of a successful tourism policy and since 1994 South Africa (SA) has embarked on a strategy of hosting major sport events to achieve various national goals, including projecting images of the ‘new SA’. This study investigated the role media coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup played in changing images assoc...

Increasingly, perceived risk is part of a destination’s image. This is particularly true for Africa. This study investigated images and risks associated with Uganda and whether exposure to Uganda’s official tourism website could induce image change. A classic two group randomized experimental design was used. Exposure to Uganda’s official tourism w...

The purpose of the study was to: (a) to examine the factors that influence donor behavior, (b) to determine which specific perceived benefits are predictors of donor behavior, and (c) to examine the influence of gender, age, and income level of university performing arts program (PAP) donors. Secondary data from the Value and Impact Study, collecte...

This study investigated the experiences of participating in elite-level sport for women with physical disabilities. Ten Paralympic wheelchair basketball players aged 18 to 32 years were interviewed about their experiences in elite-level sport. A semi-structured interview format was utilized and constant comparison with a grounded theory approach wa...

For many later lire and retirement are characterized by the freedom to pursue activities that have been postponed from earlier life stages. One such activity especially for middle-class Americans, is leisure-travel. Face to face semi-structured interviews were conducted with six men and five women ranging in age from 65 to 90 years asking them abou...

Leisure and tourism activities may be integrally related for some. This study examined the relationship between the preferred leisure and tourism activities and psychological involvement in paddling of a group of paddlers. Participants were surveyed at the completion of a paddle tour. Data were analyzed using frequencies, confirmatory factor analys...

This study examines donor motivation and its influence on donation behavior related to university performing arts programs as a sector of leisure management. Specifically, donor benefits, gift amounts, gender, and age are examined in relation to donor motives. The sample consisted of 1,771 performing arts donors who completed an on-line survey. Res...

The understanding of behaviours of sport tourists is an important topic for destination tourist development. Given that repeat visitation is often a desired outcome for tourism destinations, this study examines whether there are differences in behavioural outcomes and image perceptions of spectators of a small-scale sport event based on past behavi...

With the growth in the opportunities for amateur athletes to take part in competitive events it is becoming apparent that there is a need to separate active sport tourists into two types: non-event (e.g. golf, skiing) and event. Active event sport tourism constitutes travel to take part in various organized events from the hallmark New York and Lon...

ABTRACT. This study examined the effects of religiosity and sibling relationships on the timing of sexual debut. The sample was comprised of 352 students randomly selected from a university in the Southeastern United States. Sibling relationships had a small but significant effect on the timing of sexual debut. There was a higher chance of an indiv...

The issue of risk associated with mega-event tourism has been receiving increased attention. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between risk perceptions and travel intentions associated with an Olympic Games' host country, using the Beijing Games as a case study. To control for the influence of individual backgrounds, this stu...

Sensation seeking (SS) is a personality trait associated with the need for novelty and stimulation and has been linked to tourist behavior. Tourist role, perceptions of risk associated with travel to particular regions of the world, and international travel experience were investigated in relation to SS and gender. Survey data were collected from 2...

Although there is growing awareness of the relationship between hosting megasporting-events and destination image, there is little empirical evidence documenting what images people hold before an event. The purpose of this study was to investigate the images young Americans hold of China both as a tourist destination and as the host of the 2008 Oly...

As more peripheral destinations use tourism as an economic development tool, it is becoming increasingly important to develop a deeper understanding of tourists' perceptions and experiences of these places as one component of strategies to ensure the long-term sustainability of these locations. This study used a pre- and post-trip design to explore...

Role theory is one of the oldest perspectives used in the social sciences to describe and explain behavior. In this paper we draw upon role theory as it has typically been articulated in sociology. We examine the two traditional approaches to role theory, namely functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives, and we discuss the call for an...