Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
attraction for visitors, as in the case of
the Loch Lomond Shores project,
which is underpinned by an anchor
tenant and a large visitor attraction.
Plate 1.4:
National Park Gateway
Centre, Loch Lomond and the
Trossachs National Park, Scotland,
provides visitor information and
orientation at the southern boundary of
and major visitor gateway to the park.
and recreationists are seen as a nuisance! The reasons for this situation are manifold but
perhaps lie in the cultural and action dimensions of geographical research.
ACTION: DEVELOPMENT OF AN APPLIED GEOGRAPHY OF
TOURISM AND RECREATION
Within the literature on geographical research, there was a growing concern for relevance
in the 1950s (see Johnston 1991). Part of that concern may have been a function of trying
to improve the marketability of the discipline. At the same time, this call for relevance
was accompanied by the development of scientific methods in geography that highlighted
the growing systematic focus and concern with applying geographical principles and
concepts to real-world problems. One possible interpretation of the post-1945 concern
with relevancy and, more belatedly, an applied focus, may be related to the expansion of
undergraduate student enrolments in geography departments and the need to secure
employment opportunities beyond teaching. The 1960s also saw the development of
notable studies (e.g. Stamp 1960) extolling the virtues of the geographer's art and tools in
relation to their contribution to society. Yet recreation and tourism received only a
passing mention in that seminal study, as geography remained preoccupied with the move
towards 'scientific method', 'logical positivism', quantification and a move away from
regional description to more systematic forms of spatial analysis. Such developments
