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Recent nation-wide data on self-reported leisure-time physical inactivity reveals that about one third of the American population age 50 and over is sedentary. Several national organizations are promoting leisure-time physical activity among older adults as a strategy for this population to adapt to agerelated declines in mental and physical functioning and to improve their quality of life. Inferences from past research suggest that social support is significant in enabling older adults to achieve better health outcomes. Unfortunately, little is known about the relationship between health and wellbeing of older adults depending upon the amount and type of social support received for leisure activities, i.e., social support for leisure (SSL). In this study, we investigated the influence of SSL sources (family members, friends, and acquaintances) on physical activity levels and wellbeing, i.e., life satisfaction, stress, and health among older adults (age 50 and over). Study findings highlighted the importance of support from friends for increasing leisure and recreational physical activity participation among older adults. Findings revealed that both family and friends' support for leisure had positive effects on older adults' perception of wellbeing. Another important finding in this study was the positive relationship between family social support for leisure and the respondents' life-satisfaction levels.

The authors investigated the influence of gender and religion on health-risk behavior potentials and destination-related expectations of college students on spring break vacation using a random sample of 534 students from two U.S. universities. Results indicated that gender and religion had a significant impact on students’ potential to engage in health-risk behaviors during spring break as well as their choice of spring break destinations and their expectations for hospitality service quality and characteristics of the destinations. Important social marketing and public policy implications for the tourism and hospitality industry are discussed.

This article reviews the existing literature on ecotourism definitions and provides a supply-side view of ecotourism based on the findings of a nationwide survey of 282 U.S.-based ecotour operators. A content analysis of ecotourism definitions revealed that ecotourism is a new form of nonconsumptive, educational, and romantic tourism to relatively undisturbed and undervisited areas of immense natural beauty, and cultural and historical importance for the purposes of understanding and appreciating the natural and sociocultural history of the host destination. The current view of ecotourism by the sample of tour operators reflects and confirms definitions of ecotourism found in existing literature. If the definitions provided by this sample of ecotour operators are to be considered representative of their business vision or mission statement, it is plausible to expect their business objectives and operational behavior to be congruent with their description of ecotourism. Whether or not their actual behavior will reflect their visions remains to be determined.

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Sustainable tourism has the potential of contributing to local development while protecting the natural environment and preserving cultural heritage. Implementation of this form of tourism requires human resources that can assume effective leadership in sustainable development. The purpose of the international student program, described in this paper, was to develop and implement an educational methodology to fulfill this need. The study, which was developed and applied by two universities, took place in August 2013, in the study setting of Kastamonu, Turkey. The effectiveness of the program was measured by pre-and post-surveys using the Global Citizenship Scale developed by Morais and Ogden. The findings document a change in intercultural communication, global knowledge and political voice dimensions of the scale.