Responsible Tourism Seasonality: a Responsible Tourism Approach Dr Harold Goodwin Director International Centre for Responsible Tourism & Responsible Tourism

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.



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.



Source or Originating Market Determinants

Diversifying markets

Differential pricing

Encouraging domestic tourism

Off-season events



The Destination Experience

Seasonality of arrivals, visitor nights and length of stay



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



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



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



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



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



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.



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



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.



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.



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



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



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



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….



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



Seasonality can be managed… Cultural seasonality

Christmas markets

Lincoln

Natural seasonality

Hop Festivals

Faversham



Destination responses

1. Four season resorts – skiing, golf, swimming, conferences, festivals

• Whistler in British Colombia• Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy



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.



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



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



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

Documents

Responsible Tourism Seasonality: a Responsible Tourism Approach Dr Harold Goodwin Director International Centre for Responsible Tourism & Responsible Tourism