IDO MOVEMENT FOR CULTURE

This paper deals with leisure choices of Finnish sport tourists. The aim is to theoretically and empirically examine whether leisure interpretations of Finnish activity tourists reflect serious leisure. Serious leisure refers to the transfer of worklike qualities into leisure, and is observed and interpreted as an embodiment of profit hypothesis, social pressure, cultural norms and social identification of the members of postindustrial society.
The theoretical framework is based on Stebbins’ conceptualizations of serious leisure adapted to the descriptions of the protestant ethics and rationality by Weber and the structuralist constructivism by Bourdieu. The study utilizes deductive-inductive argumentation in a hermeneutic tradition. Empirical data consists of fourteen theme interviews of Finnish sport tourists that have been analysed with the method of thematic content analysis.
The interview narratives of the Finnish sport tourists indicate that sport, tourism and leisure choices comprise qualities of both serious and casual leisure. According to the leisure interpretations tourists were classified into four ideal types. For the dutiful performers the functions of leisure were most obviously connected to the ideas of duty, work-like doer and performance sentiments, and as forms of energy and cultural capital. For the nature lovers natural environment together with summer-cottage life served as fields of relaxation, peace and quiet on one hand and working circumstances on the other. The free-floating consumers expressed western individuality and self-determination in life style choices. Work and leisure were most blended among the sociable movers who considered social interaction as a key definer of leisure preferences.