Children's and Families' Holiday Experience

Children's and Families' Holiday Experiences is based on the recognition of the active social role of children in shaping the nature of their holiday experiences and those of their parents and other adults. The volume provides significant insights into the holiday desires, expectations, and experiences of children and their families that offer the potential for the tourism industry to plan, develop, and market products that provide a higher quality of service to these populations. This book traces the modern history of the demand for and provision of holidays for children and families. As part of this it examines the nature of the holiday desires of parents and children and the roles society and the tourism industry play in influencing these. It provides an analysis of the changing nature of the holiday desires and experiences of children as they evolve through different life stages and the influence this has on the shape of family holidays. Given increasing concerns about child safety and education, this book examines both issues within the tourism experience. Finally, the book analyzes how the tourism industry caters to the needs of children and families and offers insights into how this could be improved in the future. This thorough investigation will be of interest to students, researchers and academics in the areas of Tourism, Geography and Child and Family Studies as well as the tourism Industry.

Neil Carr is an Associate Professor in the Department of Tourism at the University of Otago, New Zealand.

1. Introduction: Children and The Holiday Experience 2. Socio-Industrial Constructions of Family and Children's Holiday Experiences 3. Children and Parents Holiday Desires and Motivations 4. Children's Health and Safety in the Holiday Environment 5. Children Learning Through Tourism Experiences 6. Catering to Children in the Holiday Experience 7. No Parents! The Child-Only Tourism Experience 8. No Children! The Adult-Only Tourism Experience 9. Conclusion: Looking and Researching Beyond the Myths of Childhood and the Happy Family