The World Leisure and Recreation Association (WLRA) held its fourth World Congress in Cardiff, wales, in July 1996. The overall theme was Leisure and the quality of life in the 21st century . At the congress, the management commission, the newest of WLRA’s commissions, attracted 78 papers in the management and access theme, from 16 countries. This book presents edited and revised versions of 18 of the most significant papers from the management section of the congress. The papers are diverse in topic, focus and geography, but demonstrate the vigour and developing nature of management studies in leisure, both of an applied and theoretical nature. Two themes in particular are developed: issues, such as access to leisure services, pressures of visitor numbers on rural areas, and contracting out of services to the private sector; and applications of different theories and approaches to managing leisure resources and customers. Case study material is presented from locations as diverse as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Spain and the UK. Overall, the book should be supplementary reading for students of leisure studies and for lecturers, researchers and practitioners in leisure management.