Causal Factors of Seasonality and Temporal Imbalances in Tourism

Abstract

The previous chapter established the prevalence of temporality in tourism, discussing dimensions, characteristics and terminologies of the phenomenon. It identified the traditional label of ‘seasonality’ as the main characterisation of temporal imbalances, while introducing ‘cyclical’ and ‘periodic’ dimensions, the latter more significant at micro-level, such as the availability or non-availability of tourism services within a shorter timeframe. The focus of this chapter is to unravel underlying causes of temporal fluctuations in tourism, to help build an understanding of why temporal peaks and troughs in demand patterns exist, what factors affect the temporal nature of consumers’ holiday and wider travel patterns and therefore in turn, influence service providers in terms of the availability, nature and pricing of their tourism services.