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Responsible
Tourism
Seasonality: a Responsible Tourism Approach
Dr Harold Goodwin Director International Centre for Responsible Tourism &Responsible Tourism Partnership
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 2
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Seasonality: a Responsible Tourism Approach
1. What is the problem?2. Whose problem is it?3. The private sector response.4. The Responsible Tourism
Approach.5. Destination impacts and
management approaches.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 3
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
What is the problem? • Time of abundance, - a favourable
business period • Inefficiency: overuse and under-utilisation • Traffic congestion and water consumption • Affects returns and employment patterns• Most tourism destinations experience
seasonality • Main effort has been to deal with troughs
not peaks. • Consumer negatives – crowding, service,
and positives: part of sense of place.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 4
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Source or Originating Market Determinants
Diversifying markets
Differential pricing
Encouraging domestic tourism
Off-season events
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 5
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
The Destination Experience
Seasonality of arrivals, visitor nights and length of stay
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 6
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Causes of Seasonality
• Push factors • Climate &
weather Seasonal Affective
Disorder Heating costs.
• Weekends End of the month
weekends
• Pull factors • Climate & weather
Temperature and hours of sunshine
• Events & Sport Season
Particular problem at high and low latitudes
Specialisation often increases seasonality
Weather dependency – unreliability .
More extreme in outdoor destinations
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 7
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Natural and Institutional Causes of Seasonality Bar-On and Butler • Natural • climate & weather• Seasons
Whale watching Tulips and harvest Food and drink Bird migration –
seasonal comings and goings at Scottish Seabird Centre
• Institutional • Cultural & social
factors Holy Days Public holidays School holidays Traditional holidays Sport Events
• Retired Population
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 8
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Definitions
• Temporal distribution: uneven fluctuation over time, with at least one period of abundance.
• seasonality “a temporal imbalance in the phenomenon of tourism, [which] may be expressed in terms of dimensions of such elements as numbers of visitors, expenditure of visitors, traffic on highways and other forms of transportation, employment, and admissions to attractions”1
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 9
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Whose problem is it?• Private sector problem for hotels,
attractions, service providers.• Employee problem• Destination, and therefore local
government, problem – overcrowding, litter, toilet facilities during high season and major events & off-season closure and unemployment.
• Nationally can be addressed by creating public holidays and long weekends and paid holidays – staggering of school holidays
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 10
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
The private sector response.
1. Pricing mechanisms, attracting groups and the more budget conscious in the “shoulder” and low seasons
2. Attracting domestic visitors or budget travellers.
3. Diversifying products & markets
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 11
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Reactive and Pro-Active Approaches to seasonality
• Reactive/adapting• Seasonal closure• Reduce or dismiss
staff• Diversify
livelihood strategy
• Increase borrowing
• Pro-Active responses• Enjoy it - change life
style• Add value to increase
profitability • develop new products
and/or market segments
• Attract local visitors• Attract repeat visitors
at different seasons.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 12
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
The Responsible Tourism Approach.• achieving sustainable tourism, and to
create better places for people to live in and for people to visit.
• Recognising that dialogue, partnerships and multi-stakeholder processes - involving government, business and local communities - to make better places for hosts and guests can only be realised at the local level
• Responsible Tourism in Destinations, Cape Town August 2002. www.icrtourism.org/capetown.html
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 13
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Responsible Travel takes a variety of forms, it is characterised by travel and tourism which
• minimises negative environmental, social and cultural impacts;
• generates greater economic benefits for local people and enhances the wellbeing of host communities, by improving working conditions and access to the industry;
• involves local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 14
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of the world’s diversity;
provides more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural and environmental issues;
• is culturally sensitive and engenders respect between tourists and hosts.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 15
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Responsible Tourism
T our O perator I nbound O perator H otelier/
A ccommodat ion
Local/
N at ional
Government
A ttract ion
M anagers
N at ional Parks/
H eritage
Local
Community
T ourists
T ravellers
H olidaymakers
T aking and Exercising Responsibilit y
Economic, S ocial & Environmental
Pr inciple of S ustainablity
W T O Global Code of Ethics
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 16
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Requires a Collective Approach • Destinations generally comprise more than
one product and many stakeholders • Viable year round destinations require
than the majority participate. 1. Destination managers need to encourage
service providers to stay open and 2. To encourage visitors by reaching new
markets and re-educating existing ones – events, incentives, provide interpretation and education - marketing subsidies
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 17
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Destination impacts and management approaches: Social Impacts
Social exclusion – students and school pupils attracted in the shoulder and low season, cheaper ski passes and discounts.
Crime and family life impacts Key services closed in the off-season –
services there only for the tourists, but that is why they are there at all.
Migrant and casual labour Seasonality affects responses to impact
surveys
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 18
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Destination impacts and management approaches: Economic Impacts
• Loss of profits due to inefficient use of resources – low return on capital, positive life style choice
• Seasonal unemployment, casualisation, part-time work – lack of labour rights and low annual incomes. Recruitment and retention
• Higher prices• Costs of additional facilities – litter, toilets
etc. • Up market hotels with skilled staff have to
stay open year round. • Maintenance….
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 19
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Destination impacts and management approaches: Environmental Impacts
• Concentration of visitors in short periods of time – peak seasons
• Overcrowding and overuse. • Reduce supply• Congestion, erosion, trampling,
wildlife disturbance• Lengthy “dead” seasons can
permit recovery
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 20
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Seasonality can be managed… Cultural seasonality
Christmas markets
Lincoln
Natural seasonality
Hop Festivals
Faversham
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 21
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Destination responses
1. Four season resorts – skiing, golf, swimming, conferences, festivals
• Whistler in British Colombia• Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 22
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Destination Responses
2. Additional spend on promoting off-peak and shoulder season opportunities
3. Developing and offering additional facilities and attractions –seasonal activities.
4. Developing events – festivals, conferences.
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 23
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
No bad weather – only bad clothing and poor preparation.
5. In Scottish wildlife tourism more emphasis is being placed on the enhanced opportunity to see wildlife as low cloud and wet weather lifts – honesty and preparation.
6. Norwegian operator selling stormy weather as an experience of true nature with stunning light and colours.
7. Provision of wet weather facilities at campsites in Scandinavia
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 24
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Management Responses
• Location and competitiveness are key issues.
• Most common response: events and festivals Oktoberfest & Blackpool illuminations.
• New market segments – conferences, short-breaks, elderly, affinity groups
March 11th 2005 [email protected] 25
International Centre for Responsible Tourism
Beware …
• An off season differentiated product must be differentiated.
• Avoid disappointment
• Bad weather, • insufficient or poor
quality entertainment • Closed attractions• Poor service in hotels
because of cost cutting
• Can all damage reputation