Seasonality in rural tourism – the case of north portugal

Seasonality in rural tourism – the case of

North Portugal

Elisabeth Kastenholz and Anto´nio Lopes de Almeida

Abstract

Purpose – In this paper, the aim is to discuss and analyze seasonality of demand within the rural tourist

market of North Portugal and corresponding destination marketing implications.

Design/methodology/approach – The data (n ¼ 2280) were collected through a large-scale survey in

the context of a study of the rural tourist market in North Portugal, from 1998 to 1999.

Findings – Results reveal statistically significant differences between those coming in the high versus

low season, concerning tourist profile, travel behavior, motivations and perceptions of the destination.

Research limitations/ implications – The study results may only be valid for the specific rural region

studied, which would make replication studies in other rural destinations desirable to take more

generalizable conclusions.

Practical implications – Understanding seasonal market differences and confronting them with the

destination’s resources may contribute to the development of more attractive products and

correspondingly to the destination’s ability to attract and satisfy different types of tourists in different

seasons of the year. The capacity to thereby improve the destination experience in the eyes of its tourists

and to also manage demand, avoiding excessive crowding in the high season and eventually

sub-optimal use of resources in the low, may be an important step for maintaining a sustainable tourism

business in rural areas.

Originality/value – The paper aims at contributing to the discussion of how to cope with seasonality of

tourist demand, considering particularly the specificity of rural destinations and the global aim of

sustainable destination development.

Keywords Seasonality, Demand management, Rural regions, Tourism, Economic sustainability,

Portugal

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

Seasonality of demand is generally considered one of the major challenges within the

tourism business, potentially jeopardizing its sustainable development. This is particularly

true for tourist destinations with characteristics making them more vulnerable to systematic

fluctuations of demand, typically those related to climate, as in the case of Portugal. This

country is generally seen as a Mediterranean destination, attracting international markets

very much due to its climate, naturally implying the country’s increased vulnerability to

seasonal fluctuations of demand. These fluctuations are not only visible in the country’s most

important ‘‘sun and sea’’ destination, the Algarve, but also observable in rural tourist

destinations like North Portugal (see Figure 1). Much of the studied region is marked by the

predominance of small communities, integrated in a natural, oftentimes fragile environment,

as well as by small-scale family businesses providing personalized tourist experiences. In

this context and in order to avoid environmental, socio-cultural and even economic

degradation of the destination, a sustainable tourism development is paramount. Typically,

this paradigm would require a balanced seasonal distribution of demand, permitting

economic benefits all along the year and simultaneously avoiding excessive tourist flows in

DOI 10.1108/16605370810883905 VOL. 63 NO. 2 2008, pp. 5-15, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1660-5373 j TOURISM REVIEW j PAGE 5

Elisabeth Kastenholz is

director of the

undergraduate cycle in

Tourism and of the Master’s

program in Management

and Planning in Tourism at

the University of Aveiro,

DEGEI, Campus

Universita´rio de Santiago,

Aveiro, Portugal.

Anto´nio Lopes de Almeida

is a Lecturer in Tourism

Studies at the Instituto

Superior de Lı´nguas e

Administrac¸a˜o, University

of Aveiro, DEGEI, Campus

Universita´rio de Santiago,

Aveiro, Portugal.