Contribution of leisure and recreational facilities to the development of tourism in Uganda

United Nations world tourism organization defines tourism as the activities of a person travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purpose.

Tourism is the temporally short term movement of people to places, outside their homes and work stations; they get involved in leisure and recreational activities at the destinations that they visit. As Halloway says in his book the Bison (1993), “tourism is just a form of recreation, one use of our discretionary time.

Leisure according to Australian Council for Health, (1980) is a state of mind which is ordinarily characterized by un-obliged time and willing optimism. It can be either activity or no activity. Leisure is free time when you are not meeting social or bodily needs.  Leisure is comprised of activities, time and   freedom. Passive leisure is where guests don’t take an active part in the leisure activities for example; cheering a football match, watching television while active leisure is when he or she takes part in the activities like going on a game drive, swimming, and mountain climbing.

Recreation is defined as an activity or experience usually chosen voluntarily by the participant due to the immediate satisfaction to be derived from it Kraus, (1966). It is also an act selected by the individual during his or her leisure time to meet their personal needs, wants or desires primarily for his/ her own satisfaction (Yuki, 1970).

Leisure and recreation are both crucial components of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. It’s a time when people can do what they want away from work and their commitments. The two play an important role in social wellbeing by providing people with a sense of identity and personal autonomy. Involvement in leisure time activities adds meaning to individual and community life style. It contributes to overall quality of life. Recreation can encourage personal growth and self-expression, providing increased learning opportunities and satisfying needs not met in people’s non leisure time. Kephan, (1975).

Leisure gives a chance to develop skills, friendship and self-confidence. It helps enjoy new experiences, adventures and challenges. With staying healthy leisure activities are freely chosen and can be done in places you feel good and comfortable. For many people participation in leisure improves physical and mental health, research shows that increased physical activities can lead to fewer health problems and higher productivity at work, especially when combined with a balanced diet and a healthy life style. 

Leisure and recreation facilities are strongly intertwined due to their mutual dependencies, thus they build up invisible networks. These facilities are one of the imperative components for socio-cultural and economic development aspects. There are common leisure and recreational facilities through which people spend their time, develop skills and competences. Traditionally leisure and recreational activities are given low priority against the support and assistance provided for social cultural and economic development, leisure and recreational facilities include parks, resorts, and hotels, cultural centers, among others.(Aldosary, 2011)

 There is need for the different stake holders to embrace the contribution of leisure and recreational facilities. Dwarf literature has been written on the contribution of leisure and recreational facilities to tourism development, this research seeks to add on the existing literature, to enable stake holders understand that the facilities are of great contribution towards tourism development.

Tourism is growing at a fast rate having an increase in a number of tourists. These are catered for by the leisure and recreational facilities which offer good services to the guests such as accommodation, food, laundry among others. The use of skilled manpower, technological advancement in this sector also leads to tourism development. They derive comfort to the tourists making them have an ultimate feeling of a home and away. Tourism stake holders need to appreciate the existence of leisure and recreational facilities in the tourism industry due to their importance.

Tourism is concerned with the aspects of recreation, which require special facilities to cater for the demand of participation in leisure and recreational activities. Recreation and leisure ranges from home entertainment such as playing indoor games, watching television, jogging up to actively participating in the activities, hence they need to find places that they can feel the same way as they are at home and with more experience, Karus R (1966)

Travel, tourism and leisure are all part of a complex set of social and cultural relationships. They are tied into the ideological concepts of time, respectability, health and conspicuous consumption. The profile of the participants is organized leisure and their quest for imaginative pleasure-seeking provides an insight into the way tourism functions as an agent of social exclusion (MACDONALD, 2000)

The world tourism organization estimates that by the year 2020 , there will be 1.6 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, spending over us$ 2 trillion this means that globally arrivals will continue to grow at an average rate of 4.3% and spending at 6.7% per year this surpasses the maximum probable expansion in the worlds wealth estimated at 3% increase.

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics, in its Statistical Abstract 2013, shows that most of the services in the hospitality sector witnessed an increase in prices between 2011 and 2012 as demand went up. Meaning that there were more tourist arrivals those years than the number of facilities available it shows a significance of the leisure and recreational facilities hence need to put up more because if they are available to accommodate tourist, feed them it is easier and this might lead to the growth in tourism development.

Tourism as an intangible service the adjective intangible describes the fact that services are products the consumer cannot touch, feel, see, smell, or hear in the same way as a tangible product. Intangibility has important implications for tourism marketers when they develop promotional material for tourists (Kolb, 2006).Regional integration is a reason Uganda’s hospitality industry is likely to thrive. Recently, the East African states signed to the EAC single tourist Visa. This means that Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have agreed on a visa fee of $100 and on a revenue sharing model that will see each partner state retain $30 and $10 retained for administrative expenses.

Trends in the leisure and tourism millennial have become the fastest growing customer segment within the Leisure industry, Exploration, interaction and experience are the major focus of Millennial who are willing to pay more for a greater experience. Many of them are looking for an overall gourmet experience for a reasonable price and this has produced all new lobby designs in the hotel sector. Lobby bars and hotel restaurants are wide open with combination work, play and eat/drink spaces designed with this millennial customer in mind, one who is a “party of one” but “hanging out together.” They are looking for a unique and novel experience and this has and will continue to command change within the market. As noted on (Trip Advisor website, 2013)

The customer segment is interested in utilizing technology to do things that many others have become accustomed to doing manually: checking in at hotels, paying their restaurant and bar bills and looking up places to eat, shop and play to name a few. In addition to wanting technology, Millennial have no problems speaking up. If what they are seeking is not handled to their liking, they will turn to  twitter, Face book, Yelp or Trip Advisor to voice their complaints. And last but not least, 59 percent of Millennia’s stayed at independent hotels last year, 20 percent more than boomers and double those 70 and over, according to MMGY. They currently represent 32 percent of all US travelers and by 2025 will represent over 50 percent of all travelers.

Customer service will make the list every year but this year it must be a combination of “high technology, high touch” as coined by John Naisbitt in his best seller “Megatrends” in 1985.

Service today must include enabling guests to be self-sufficient. As an example, if a guest wants to find information using his/her smart phone, providing an app or mobile website that accommodates that information will appeal to many. The rise of this digital traveler requires the hotel industry to balance the expectation of personalization while enhancing the need to remain independent.

For those who are either tech-challenged or prefer more service, that service must be genuine and of a high quality – good recommendations whether they be for food, shopping or activities delivered by a truly caring team member. “WOW” Service is the only way to ensure repeat business. By creating an impressive, unique guest experience that exceeds all expectations, we are able to capture the customer whether it would be with or without technology. On the meeting and event side, planners are expecting hotels to have tools to assist them. These tools may include online requests for proposals; dynamic package pricing that allows the planner to pick and choose certain amenities and more.

With all these aspects above, leisure and recreational facilities have the ability to improve on the tourism in any part of Uganda based on the study of those in the district of Wakiso located in central Uganda.

There is less concern about the contribution of leisure and recreational facilities in that most of the tourism stake holders do not embrace its merit, this research I proposed to state most of the possible solutions to the problems based on the findings about the challenges that are being faced, find out ways forward for future improvement. And also show how the leisure and recreational facilities have contributed to tourism development despite challenges.