This study examines various approaches regarding genesis and processes in the Geography of Leisure. The first part deals with theoretical deficits in defining the terms of the Geography of Leisure, of the Geography of Recreational Behavior and of Tourism. Using a Venn-diagram the discussed problems can be solved by reducing the differences of opinion to different scientific approaches in a spatio-temporal-continuum.

If we include the results found by a Geography of Perception and by theory of decision-making we can define a new approach, in which a recreational behavior is an answer to the percieved environment. The verification of this new approach can be realized by empirical dates on the basis of some hypotheses, deduced form the theoretical part. This second part is divided into three chapters.

1. We can see from the example of Northern Slesvig (Denmark), that environmental impulses exist in the form of typical push- and pull-factors. It is possible to fix the relative importance of these factors for the decision-making process in recreational behavior. The comparison between the actual facilities and the subjectiv evaluation of their users enables us to assess the weight of these pull-factors quantitatively and to relate the subjective expectation to the actual facilities. It depends on the accessibility and familiarity, of how much value is attached to an area for outdoor recreation.

2. The environmental impulses initiate a decision-making process in which approximately 60 % in Northern Slesvig reach a decision concerning the desired area on the basis of minimal distance, 30 % on the basis of recreational utility. So a spatial connection can be found between the starting points and specific recreational areas. The spatial basic attitudes in the form of Mental Maps show separating mechanisms against other desired areas despite similar or better facilities by evaluating them as inferior. A multiple regression proves the leading function of distance and assigns a relationship between distance and the variables of evalution and familiaritiy.

3. The third chapter deals with typical attitudes of social groups, shown in a case-study of the Isle of Römö. The analysis will examine the influence of the age, the occupation and the nationality. The mechanism of spatial attachment to the goal is the result of increasing identification that comes with advanced age. The evalution improves despite the fact that needs or defects are percieved. You can find all groups of profession, but the orientation to recreation benefits increases with higher education. Danish visitors are much more guided by the idea of optimizing recreational benefits than the German visitors.

Spatial location of the starting point and the reference group result in different motives in the decision-making process of selecting a desired area for coastal recreation. By recognizing suboptimal attitudes this study reveals the difficulties in previous explanations of recreational behavior. The results can be reconciled with the established hypotheses.