The Promises of Holiday Camps for Children

Abstract

The essay offers an introduction to the experience of holiday camps for children. Holiday camps were a form of social tourism which was typical of industrial societies and which affected the coasts, countryside, and mountains of Western countries for more than a century. After a brief presentation of the conditions that generated their emergence, the essay is organized according to three different dimensions, which are here called “promises:” the promises of salvation, preparation for life, and innovation.

Keywords

• holiday camp
• social tourism
• architecture and health
• architecture and education
• innovation