"Because of the seasonal and cyclical nature of tourism, the sector is characterised by a high incidence of seasonal, part-time and casual employment"

ADDRESSSING SEASONALITY IN TOURISM:

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE

Conclusions and Recommendations resulting from

the Punta del Este Conference, May 2014.

Report for UNWTO

Professor Richard Butler

June, 2014

INTRODUCTION

Seasonality is a universal factor in tourism and has often been viewed as a problem,

particularly in economic terms. As tourism has grown from a small element in global

development to one of the major forces of economic and social development throughout

the world, the desire to ensure destinations have a year-round tourism industry rather than

a small seasonal activity has become stronger. However, despite many and varied

attempts to achieve this goal, few destinations have managed to secure year round

tourism. Seasonality is a complicated phenomenon, far more complex than simply a

result of annual climatic variation, and thus actions need to address the underlying causes

of seasonality and the reasons for it remaining a permanent characteristic of tourism.

Rather than thinking in terms of “overcoming” seasonality, it would be much more

sensible to see seasonality as a factor to be compensated for, and dealt with through

adaptation and mitigation rather than attempting elimination of seasonal variation in

numbers of tourists. The following sections discuss the nature and origins of seasonality,

the principal factors driving the phenomenon and steps which have been taken by some

destinations to reduce its effects. The concluding section outlines possible strategies

which could be introduced in some destinations to mitigate seasonality in tourist

visitation and lengthen the season during which visitors arrive.

SEASONALITY

Seasonality is generally viewed as a problem that limits the economic returns that can be

obtained from tourism and prevents the optimum economic benefits that might be gained

if a destination were able to attract tourists year round. It has been defined as:

“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”

One of the unresolved problems associated with seasonality is how best to measure these

temporal variations, whether they should be expressed in terms of bednights, total

numbers of visits, monthly income generated, or people employed. In most cases total

numbers of visitors or bednights are used. Generally, the number of staying visitors is a

better indication of the potential value of tourism and return on investment than simple

tourist visits as the latter will include day visitors and cruise ship visitors who generally

have lower daily expenditure and a concentrated spatial pattern of impact to a limited part

of a destination.

Whatever the unit of measurement, it is the temporal extent and pattern of tourism that is

generally the most important factor under consideration. In some extreme remote

locations (e.g. sub-polar regions), the season for visitation may be only a few weeks,

while very few destinations other than capital and other large cities have large scale

visitation throughout the year. Even those destinations experience variations in the level

of tourist numbers over a typical year.

From an economic point of view, and particularly the view of tourism operators and

companies, the ideal situation would be a roughly equal level of visitation throughout the

year, allowing the maximum use to be made of physical infrastructure and plant,

employees to be retained on a full time basis throughout the year and thus maximum or

close to maximum prices to be obtained throughout the year. In reality, many tourist

businesses can only operate at or near capacity for a few months of the year, with

shoulder seasons of one to two months at the most on either side of the peak period.

Smaller peaks might be experienced at formal holidays such as Christmas and Easter or

for other celebrations (e.g. Golden Week in China), such as anniversaries of

independence and establishment.

It has to be acknowledged that very few destinations have been successful over the long

term in meaningfully extending their tourist season, let alone converting a seasonal

tourism pattern into a year-round non-seasonal pattern of visitation. The reasons for this

failure will be discussed below. It has to be accepted that the more extreme the

seasonality of visitation at a location, the greater the difficulty of removing or

overcoming that pattern of visitation.

CHARACTERISTICS

There are a number of characteristics of seasonality that enable its causes to be identified

and thus may help in modifying its occurrence. In the first case it is generally regular and

consistent, occurring at the same time for roughly the same duration each year. This

means that unlike some other negative influences on tourism, both at the local level such

as natural disasters, security issues or epidemics, or at the global level such as economic

recession and war, seasonality is predictable and in a sense ‘reliable’ in terms of it being

able to be anticipated and ideally, mitigated. This should mean that steps to counter its

presence and or its effects should be more easy to conceive and to implement. The fact

that success to date has been very limited suggests that perhaps the wrong steps have

been taken which may stem from tackling the wrong “problems”.

A second characteristic of seasonality is that it is not unique to tourism, it affects other

major economic activities such as agriculture, fishing, and forestry at least equally if not

more than tourism and it should be possible to learn from what has been done by

operators working in those activities with respect to dealing with seasonality. There are

of course some fundamental differences between tourism and many other economic

activities stemming from the fact that tourism offers experiences rather than tangible

products and its primary offerings, e.g. beds, cannot be stored for a sale at another time as

may be the case with industries producing a tangible hard product.

A third characteristic is that it is caused and influenced by both endogenous and

exogenous factors and thus actions against it may have to be taken at both local and

external levels, and thus involve local and external agencies. It is clearly driven by

different causes, and successfully dealing with one cause may have little or no effect on

another driving force. Each destination will have a number of different factors affecting

seasonality of tourism there and thus “solutions” may have to be location specific to be

effective.

Finally, as with most aspects of tourism, both supply and demand need to be taken into

account if changes in patterns of use are to be achieved.

CAUSES

The universal cause of seasonality in general is the movement of the earth around the sun.

This can be magnified or diminished by the inclination of the earth towards the sun, and

for specific places, the location, particularly the latitude, of a particular place on the earth.

Seasonality, in terms of the four conventional seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn and

Winter) is reflected in varying amounts of sunshine, rainfall, cloud cover, hours of

daylight, and perhaps above all, temperature. These factors in turn influence and control

the growing season for plants of all types and the breeding patterns of wildlife, both

terrestrial and marine. For many centuries these seasons controlled or at least heavily

influenced the pattern of human existence and activity, for example in agriculture and

fishing communities in particular. These factors can be combined as “natural” causes of

seasonality.

Increasingly, however, humankind has imposed its own patterns of behaviour, including

temporal constraints on human activities, and these influences are best termed

“institutional” or social, in that they are created and established by human social,

political, religious, and economic agencies. The earliest forms of such seasonality were

the religious Holy Days that celebrated events in various religious and pagan calendars

such as Christmas, Easter, Saints’ Days, Passover, Ramadan, Solstices, and phases of the

moon. Travel such as pilgrimages at specific times were the earliest form of seasonality

in tourism and were followed by feasts and markets at set times of the year to reflect

agricultural timetables in many places.

Similarly, with the introduction of widespread education in the nineteenth century in

particular, school holidays were established to allow children time from education to

assist with harvesting of crops. Such periods of leisure, or time away from traditional

work, have become firmly established in many countries, albeit different in form in

various areas, and the traditional summer school holiday period is believed to be the

major institutional cause of tourist seasonality, at least in western developed countries.

Changing such by now well- established patterns is extremely difficult, partly because of

widespread public preference for consistency and inertia, and other constraints on

potential and actual visitors as discussed below.

ISSUES

There are a number of issues that make seasonality a difficult phenomenon to modify, not

the least being that it has impacts upon all aspects of a destination, economic, social,

cultural and environmental. In an era of declared sustainability, it is essential to consider

all of these issues when contemplating trying to change the seasonal pattern of tourism to

a destination.

Combating seasonality is a difficult task and few places have managed to do this

effectively over the long term. It is rarely possible to achieve such changes successfully

at the destination level alone, because successful intervention needs integrated efforts, not

only with respect to airlines and other forms of transport, but also with the full range of

accommodation and other facilities being available throughout the year or the extended

season. A destination will not appear attractive “out of season” if means of access are

offered on an infrequent basis and only a limited range of opportunities and facilities are

available compared to the traditional high season.

Secondly, what is being tasked is to change peoples’ leisure behaviour. Tourism (as a part

of leisure) is essentially about freedom of choice (in destination selected, in activities

engaged in, in time of engagement in tourism) and potential tourists are not likely to

accept being forced to change their behaviour.

To affect changes in behaviour involves:

1. removal or mitigation of negative constraints on behavior; 2. provision of information leading to increased awareness and knowledge of

alternatives;

3. provision of attractive opportunities; improved travel and access; 4. in addition, possibly a changed economic relationship (price and demand).

Thirdly, not all parties/stakeholders may desire year-round or non-seasonal tourism. A

“rest” season from tourism is often welcomed by residents, especially those who are not

directly involved in the tourism industry, however supportive of tourism in principal they

are. Ignoring this is likely to result in opposition to changes in tourism and even create a

negative attitude among some segments of the resident population and even some tourism

operators (especially niche operators offering a season specific product that may be

vulnerable to overuse).

Fourthly, in some destinations, year-round tourism may represent a serious problem to

the ecology in terms of wildlife and vegetation with no respite from visitors and their

actions and thus no time for breeding or re-growth and self-restoration from wear and

tear. This in turn could reduce the appeal of the destination if the natural environment is a

major factor in its attractiveness.

Finally, an off-season can represent a time for refurbishment, repair, and replacement of

facilities, infrastructure, and attractions. If this does not exist, then a deliberate “close”

season may have to be introduced.

CONSTRAINTS ON VISITATION

Constraints to participation and visitation at destinations exist in various forms and some

are relevant to understanding why visitors come at particular times of the year and not at

others. In order to enlarge or change a market and the demand for a product/destination it

may be appropriate to consider what, if any, constraints exist on potential visitors that

deter or prevent them from coming outside the current period of visitation.

Constraints are not all absolute, they may be temporary or permanent, climatic,

perceptual, financial, physical, social, cultural, and access or ability related. Some of

them are capable of being mitigated or adapted to, and overcoming or reversing their

negative effects varies with the nature and characteristics of the attraction and of the

market of potential users.

Traditionally they have been thought of as being of three categories:

Intrapersonal, which refers to psychological states and attributes that interact with

leisure preferences, relating to personal needs, socialization and reference group attitudes,

and these tend to predispose people towards certain activities and locales, and

presumably specific time periods, as suitable or unsuitable;

Interpersonal are those relating to friends and family in particular and may have more

impact more than preferences of a specific individual, e.g. family disagreements over

preferences;

Structural constraints represent factors conceived of as barriers to participation, such as

cost, policy issues (e.g. operating procedures, requirements), accessibility, and may be

the constraints most feasible to be modified and mitigated by destination agencies.

Participation and choice of time, location, and opportunities are partially dependent on

the level of constraint perceived or experienced, but many constraints are not absolute

barriers and can be negotiated with modification by potential participants.

1. People can decide not to participate (reactive response) passive responders; 2. Continue despite restraint (successful proactive response) achievers; 3. Participate in an altered manner (partly successful proactive response)

attempters.

It is clear that constraints are perceived individually and thus responses by agencies need

to be as personalised as possible and targetted specifically at small relevant groups to

achieve maximum possible modification.

Not all if many constraints are permanent, so potential exists to modify and mitigate

those which act as barriers to participation. There is much less known about how

constraints work in a group context where individuals mutually influence each other and

this is a particular problem in the context of tourism and tourist markets which frequently

operate in a group or mass context.

ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION

There are a number of actions which can be taken to mitigate the effects of seasonality,

not all are appropriate for any specific destination. While the general goal of reducing

what are seen as the negative effects of seasonality is common to most destinations, there

may be other desired changes to the pattern of tourist visitation that is influenced by

seasonality.

1. EXTENDING THE SEASON

The most common action is to attempt to lengthen the main season at a destination, most

often by reducing prices charged for accommodation and services in the months

immediately before and after the peak season. The goal is to increase the attractiveness of

the existing offerings through price reduction, thus attracting a wider market. Success

depends on the market being flexible in its travel arrangements to be able to visit outside

the peak season, and being susceptible to price reductions making the location appear an

attractive destination at a different time of year. This option requires little or no alteration

to the physical plant and attributes of the destination; it does require coordination to

ensure that sufficient, if not all, attractions and services remain open for early and late

visitors and that transportation services are available outside peak season.

2. OFFERING DIFFERENT ATTRACTIONS OUT OF SEASON

If it is felt that it is not possible to attract people out of peak season, perhaps because key

attractions are only available during that time of year (e.g. sea bathing dependent on air

and water temperatures or transient wildlife viewing), then a destination may decide to

offer different and additional attractions outside the peak season. Commonly these

attractions will not be dependent on weather conditions, so may be indoor attractions, or

events and attractions that can be attractive regardless of temperature and precipitation.

Events such as festivals, competitions, and displays are the most common attractions used

in this strategy. This strategy requires considerable organization, marketing, and

investment and may take a considerable time (years) to become a permanent feature of

the tourism calendar, particularly if similar events occur in neighbouring destinations.

3. REVAMPING THE DESTINATION

In a few cases (Atlantic City, USA is the best example), a destination may decide to

change its image, facilities and market completely in order to attract a new market that is

not seasonal. Such a step is rare and requires extensive redevelopment of the destination,

major investment and promotion, and sometimes legislative change (e.g. permitting

activities previously not allowed). Success depends greatly on the existing and future

competition and there is considerable advantage in being the first destination to take such

a step, although it is inevitable that competitors will follow and that will result in

continued re-investment being required. Any attraction that is created by people can be

eclipsed by larger, more expensive, better equipped and promoted attractions in other

destinations, thus revamping is an ongoing process. The new attraction has to be capable

of drawing people throughout the year to pay for the high cost of development.

4. MAKING THE DESTINATION UNIQUE AND PRESTIGIOUS

There is no guarantee that such a step can succeed but the basic purpose is to make the

destination so different that it will attract a market because of the human desire to visit

the unique and also to gain vicarious reflected prestige from visiting a particular place.

This is the principle behind “Last chance tourism”, namely the opportunity to see

something that is going to disappear before it is gone. Polar Bear Tourism in Churchill,

northern Canada, has achieved this because of the fact that polar bears may disappear

because of global warming, and thus tourists visit outside what was the conventional

short main season to see polar bears in close proximity. The site is unique and may not be

in existence in a few years time. In this case it is the provision of access and services to a

unique opportunity that has made the destination successful, not the creation of the

opportunity (presence of polar bears) itself. For most existing destinations this option is

unlikely to manifest itself unless there is a fortunate coincidence of features.

An alternative approach is to supplement or change the existing offerings (fetes, festivals,

shows, performances, fashion events), to whatever will attract the trendsetters and

“beautiful people” of the current or potential market in the hope that if they visit the

destination, other less glamorous tourist will follow their example. As in alternative 2

above, this is dependent on considerable investment of time, money, and promotional

efforts.

5. ADDING A SECOND MAIN SEASON

It may be possible to create a second season at a destination if conditions are appropriate.

The best example of this is to add either a winter sports season to an established summer

destination (Aviemore in Scotland from the mid 1960s is an example), or to add a

summer season to an established winter sports destination. Destinations in mountainous

regions such as the Alps or the Rockies have managed to do this with considerable

success, (for example, Vail and Aspen in Colorado, St Moritz, or Innsbruck in the Alps).

They have achieved success by offering outdoor attractions such as hiking, fishing,

hunting, wellness, water sports and extreme activities such as mountain biking and rock

climbing, often utilizing winter sports facilities such as chair lifts to provide access to the

high country. Such added attractions can also enlarge the traditional summer or winter

markets and also make the destination attractive for permanent residence as opposed to

summer or winter second home operations. Clearly the appropriate climatic and physical

attributes (snow and mountains to establish a winter season, natural opportunities such as

lakes, rivers, wildlife for a summer season) have to exist in the destination for such a step

to be successful.

An alternative way to add a summer season to an established winter season (which is far

less common than adding a winter season to a summer one) is demonstrated in some

Caribbean destinations. The main season there has traditionally been the winter,

providing sun and warmth for residents of cold northern origins, with the summer being

seen as too hot for most northern visitors. This has been balanced to some extent by

attracting emigrants from the Caribbean back home in the previous “off season”, in part

with reduced prices for visits at that time of the year perceived as too hot or humid for

other visitors. Again, it is the result of a fortuitous coinciding of climatic and social

factors that has made this strategy successful.

6. ADDING NON-CONVENTIONAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

In most cases this involves promoting a destination to two specific market segments,

business and residential. In the case of the business market, the most common approach is

through the establishment of one or more convention centres and associated facilities.

This normally involves one or more large hotels (upwards of 1000 guest capacity for

example), and facilities such as casinos, sports facilities, and entertainment venues. The

convention market is extremely large and lucrative but competition is strong.

Conventions range widely in size, from a few hundred delegates to many thousand, the

latter being restricted a limited number of potential destinations by virtue of the numbers

involved. Most destinations would not be able to host the largest conventions as there

would not be enough high quality accommodation units available, and probably no event

centre large enough to host and feed the numbers involved. The second and third tiers of

conventions are more numerous but any destination hoping to attract such events needs

excellent transportation links to key market origins, a high visibility to appeal to such

visitors who can in many cases, choose any destination in the world, and a range of

additional attractions if the destination hopes to attract such a market out of the

conventional high season, and also to attract families of delegates and encourage them to

stay longer than the event itself.

In terms of the residential market, this can take either or both of two forms, one based on

amenities and environment, the other on amenities and facilities. The first type is mostly

retirement living, with incomers taking advantage of the high amenity and attractive

environment found in many tourist destinations. In some cases this will represent a

conversion from a second home to a permanent retirement home, either in the form of

condominium developments or individual properties, in other cases purpose built

accommodation for retirees or conversion of formerly tourist accommodation into

permanent housing. Developments in the USA in particular have experienced this form of

development with Florida and other “sunshine” states having numerous examples. In

Japan the city of Atami is another example, where the traditional summer tourist season

has become uncompetitive but easy access to Tokyo has meant redevelopment as both a

retirement and a dormitory commuting city has become possible.

The second type of residential development relates to amenity living taking advantage not

only of a pleasant environment but specific facilities, often golf, or mountain activity

related facilities. Residential development adjacent to high class golf courses has taken

place in the USA and in European countries also, providing destinations with visitors, if

not year round, at least for a longer period than the peak summer season. The economic

well-being of both the golf facilities and the residential developments are closely linked

and rely on good access facilities and a range of amenities in the destination geared to

what is generally a high income group of property owners.

KEY QUESTIONS

There are a number of key questions which need to be addressed by any destination

wishing to extend its tourist season. Some relate to goals, some to conditions, some to the

existing and potential markets.

1 What is the principal goal to be achieved?

Much will depend on whether the goal is to make the destination a year-round

destination with no off-season, or to extend the primary main season into the shoulder

periods and perhaps add minor peaks at other times, such as Christmas or National

holidays. If the former, then major revisioning may be necessary, if the latter, minor

additions may be sufficient.

2 Is there agreement on goals and the intent to lengthen the tourist season?

If there is not near unanimity amongst not only the elements of the tourism industry

but also local residents about the desire to extend the season of visitation, attempts

may not be successful. It would be unrealistic to assume that all local residents would

desire tourists to be present at peak numbers throughout the year, and problems

associated with the environment have already been noted earlier. The advantages and

needs to extend the season need to be identified and promoted to all stakeholders in

the destination, and, of equal importance, to transport agencies and other stakeholders

who may be based outside the destination.

3 What are the causes of the current pattern of seasonality?

It is necessary to identify the natural causes of seasonality, normally climatic factors,

and the institutional causes such as statutory holidays, traditional images and

perceptions and formal constraints to visitation at specific times. Without

understanding these, it is almost impossible to mitigate and modify the pattern of

seasonality. It has to be taken into account that seasonal variation in the market origin

regions also influence when visitors arrive and leave destinations and modifications of

those patterns may need to change conditions at the visitor origins as well as at the

destinations.

4 Are the conditions appropriate for redevelopment?

A key question is whether there are the necessary space (land/water), labour, capital

available in the destination for significant redevelopment. The answer to this question

may determine the nature of any revisioning and the feasibility of its success.

5 Does the demand exist for any new offering?

It is important to determine if there is sufficient demand in existing or new markets to

make any redevelopment financially viable in terms of being able to attract the

necessary numbers of visitors. This involves consideration of existing and potential

competition in current and planned elements of tourism to be promoted. For example,

would any redevelopment be in immediate competition with other destinations, and if

so, would this be locally, nationally or internationally; or would there be a period in

which the new development would not face direct competition and have an

opportunity to become accepted and established?

6 What would be the effects of redevelopment on existing tourism?

Any radical redevelopment would have to take into account the possible effects upon

the existing tourist market segment. If exclusivity is a key factor, broadening the

appeal and making the market less exclusive may deter current visitors from returning.

There has to be careful consideration of the effects on the image of the destination,

and awareness that these can be both positive and negative.

7. What are the long term issues to be considered?

It is important to look a considerable time ahead to anticipate not only the effects of

any redevelopment but what factors might intervene or impact on the redevelopment

in the future. One issue for the long term is climate change, and while forecasts are

still of dubious accuracy, some trends and possibilities need to be taken into account.

Other exogenous factors include changes in transportation services including modes of

transport, and also the cost of fuel in the case of destinations which attract a mostly

long-haul market. It might also be necessary to consider regional political and

economic circumstances and any likely changes that would affect the destination when

redeveloped. Global political and economic changes are rarely predictable as shown

by world events in the past three decades, but regional issues are more easily foreseen.

CONCLUSIONS

Seasonality has proved an issue which is extremely difficult to overcome. Extremely

few destinations have succeeded in moving from a seasonal pattern of visitation to a

year round one. Attempts to extend the peak season or to add a second season can be

successful but are costly and success cannot be guaranteed. In general it is much better

to adopt a policy of adjustment to and mitigation of seasonality in tourism than to

attempt to overcome this phenomenon. Other economic activities live successfully

with seasonality, even if they do not achieve complete economic efficiency of

operation. Modification and mitigation measures will have to include actions relating

to the demand side of tourism as well as adjustments to the supply (destination) side if

they are to have much chance of success. The failure to do much more than modify

current offerings at destinations explains to a large degree the relative failure of most

efforts to deal with what is not necessarily a problem. Acknowledging that some

elements of seasonality may simply not be feasible to overcome or even to mitigate

significantly in some destinations is an unpleasant fact of life but a more intelligent

step than wasting resources in fighting the inevitable.

PUNTA DEL ESTE PROTOTYPE

The conference held in Punta del Este in April 2014 had as its goal the creation of a

prototype for action to deal with seasonality in tourism at destinations. The conference

began with a discussion of the issues, problems, and potential courses of action

outlined above. Emphasis was placed on the need to adopt a range of potential actions

with the goal of mitigating the negative effects of seasonality and focusing on adapting

to the problems created by seasonality rather than attempting to overcome the

phenomenon. The following session outlined the model of the prototype for urban

tourism recently developed by UNWTO which revealed a number of areas of potential

value for tackling seasonality.

The major implication was clearly the need for coordination of efforts and actions by

both the public and private sectors involved in tourism. It is impossible to deal

effectively with the issues of seasonality without such a unified approach. Government

efforts alone rarely resolve the issue of the multi-faceted goals of the different private

sectors in tourism, which reflect the widely varying scale of operations and the

different needs and priorities of subsectors. Similarly private individual initiatives are

rarely able to deal with the complexities of seasonality and the need to act on a range

of levels from local to national or even international scale.

Another session illustrated the importance and effectiveness of combining a number of

segments of tourism in destinations to achieve a longer season of visitation. The

convention market is a well established and major element in tourism at certain

destinations and can result in visitation outside the major season and attract delegate

visitors with a higher spending profile than normal tourists. Allied to this aspect is the

importance of applying the benefits of new technology, both in the marketing of

destinations and in the services provided to visitors at destinations. Visitors coming

outside of any main season need specific attributes to attract them, and unique and

special accommodation allied with outstanding food and beverage offerings present

one approach which has been effective in some areas. The “slow food” movement is

one example, and the more widespread policy of emphasizing the unique food and

beverage of specific regions is well established in attracting discerning visitors.

Another segment with particular potential is that of the senior market, a significant

proportion of which may be interested in relocating to areas of high amenity such as

selected tourist destinations. Such a market places a premium on services and

facilities, combined with high quality and ease of movement. Cultural features are

highly attractive attributes to this market.

The next panel session illustrated the value of an integrated approach to revisioning a

destination (Gramado, Brazil) and the subsequent success in attracting tourists

throughout the year because of selective and appropriate development of specific

offerings that were appropriate to that community. Local festivals, some tied to food,

some to amusements and some to cultural features ensure a range of segments find

such communities attractive as destinations. A similar approach has worked

effectively on the larger and more established tourist destination of Malaga, located in

a major tourist area, the Spanish Costa del Sol, where residential development has

attracted many incomers, especially where this has been integrated with sports

facilities such as golf. Again, a mature premium market finds such re-development

attractive beyond the traditional summer season when it is carefully and specifically

promoted to appropriate segments. Finally, the ancient but recently revived practice of

wellness was demonstrated to be highly attractive throughout the year at specific

destinations. The link between health and tourism is one of the oldest relationships in

tourism and this has been restored and effectively developed through spas and more

broadly with the concept of wellness, as distinct from medical tourism. Successful

destinations in places such as India, Austria and the USA demonstrate what can be

achieved by appropriate development for this growing market.

Finally, the conference concluded with remarks concerning the appeal of rural areas to

different markets with a reduced emphasis on seasonal offerings and a reiteration of the

potential of the convention market linked to the forthcoming convention centre to be

developed in Punta del Este.

It is in the symbiotic relationships that can be developed by alliances between different

elements of tourism that the best hope of mitigating seasonality can be conceived. The

public/private nexus has already been emphasized and it is important this take place, as

argued, at various scales and levels as tourism is multi faceted and complex. Similarly the

links between, for example, wellness and appropriate food and beverage offerings makes

for a strong selling point or attraction for destinations which can be promoted at various

times of the year as such tourism is not highly seasonal and can target specific markets

such as the mature and retired segments. The wellness and food attributes can be

combined equally well with convention traffic and be highly attractive additional

marketing features when trying to attract conventions and conferences to a destination.

The rural hinterland of many destinations is often rich in attributes that can appeal to

tourists with appropriate promotion. Agro-tourism, in conjunction with slow tourism,

healthy food, and selected rural activities also has considerable potential to attract tourists

outside the main, generally summer, season and again, may be an appropriate setting for

specific festivals and events tied to local production.

All of these elements require coordination, initiative, leadership, and support from

industry, government, and local residents to be successful. Vision and innovation are key

elements in success. Those areas which have managed to mitigate the negative effects of

seasonality have been those in which symbiotic relationships between the various

stakeholders in tourism have been developed, generally because the mutual benefits of

appropriate actions have been demonstrated and accepted by the vast majority of those

stakeholders. The key elements in all cases have been integration and coordination of

efforts with clear accepted goals.

PUNTA DEL ESTE

In the case of Punte del Ester, it is likely that financial constraints do not apply to the

existing market, and thus offering reduced rate deals out of season is unlikely to be

effective in generating significant new demand. Such a step might result in a slight

increase in visits in shoulder seasons by elements of a new market segment but not a

major shift in the primary market in terms of time of visitation. Constraints in such a case

are most likely to be social and perceptual, relating also to climatic factors. As the

climatic factors cannot be changed appreciably and as all-weather facilities are unlikely

to be seen as realistic substitutes for the current seasonal opportunities, major changes in

patterns of demand and use will most likely be dependent on providing alternative

opportunities which are not climate dependent and are appealing to the current market in

one or more alternative forms.

Creation of new demand for short periods might be accomplished by the establishment of

specific events and festivals that appeal to the established seasonal market and some of

these are already in place. These could include high profile sporting events held on an

annual basis at a regular time to establish a new pattern of regular visitation, festivals

such as art and film festivals, particularly if they are supported by the presence of related

infrastructure such as theatres and galleries. Nice, in France, is one place which has a

highly successful film festival that attracts large volumes of a high status market out of its

traditional main season, as does Venice with its film festival and also its Carnival. Clearly

such events can be costly to offer and require considerable publicity to become

established. Competition is high and there may be a relatively long lead in time before

such an event is regarded as established and worth attending. Individually such events do

not constitute a “season” comparable in length to the normal primary season, but can be

one way of extending the established season and creating an image of the destination as

being worth visiting at an alternative time.

The most successful example of creating a year round season from an established

summer season is found in Atlantic City in the Eastern United States, which came about

with the legalization of gambling and subsequent massive redevelopment of

accommodation (casinos) and accessibility. In the case of Punta del Este, a casino already

exists but the chances of being meaningful competitor to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or

Macau, as well as other smaller centres, is unlikely without massive investment and

image manipulation, and even then, its location from major international markets is

somewhat against the likely successful development at such a scale.

The most realistic option would most likely be to focus on overcoming constraints on

visitation out of the main season combined with the provision of a number of significant

events of various types in the shoulder seasons in order to stretch visitor numbers over a

longer period of time. There is potential for encouraging absentee property owners to

visit out of the peak season, given such an investment has already been made in the

destination. Additional attractions as well as additional facilities are likely to be

necessary to achieve this. The provision of facilities such as golf courses, land based

activity centres for extreme sports, shooting, fishing and hunting opportunities, and

marketing of wellness facilities may be successful with respect to this market segment

and succeed in attracting new segments. The wellness segment of tourism has grown

rapidly in recent years and generally is not tied to climatic seasons. Combining such

facilities with local produce such as wines, sea food, and agricultural produce could

prove attractive to a high end regional market at any time of the year.

Improvements in transportation to Punta del Este could improve visitation also. Providing

or encouraging services to the airport from major markets might stimulate short term

visitation out of season, and would undoubtedly benefit the proposed convention centre.

As noted earlier, to attract conferences and conventions requires not just a convention

centre, but first rate accommodation and access as well as related services. The relatively

high visibility of Punta del Este in South America should enable it to attract at least

regional conventions and conferences although it is unlikely to have the capacity or

attraction to gain the very large first tier international meetings involving several

thousand delegates.

To suggest more actions for Punta del Este would be inappropriate in the absence of

detailed knowledge of the destination, its offerings or its markets. Based on the

conference presentations and a very brief visit it would seem that the actions most likely

to successful would be those aimed at broadening the market appeal of the destination,

particularly but not exclusively out of peak season and not to follow the common but not

always financially successful step of lowering prices out of season. Making the

destination more attractive to a wide market is likely to result in a more positive overall

future than focusing narrowly on overcoming seasonality, a task which few have ever

managed to accomplish.