Measuring the seasonality in tourism with the comparison of different methods

Abstract

PurposeMost of the European Mediterranean countries are suffering from seasonality and the problems caused by it. By applying different methods, this study proposes to measure seasonality in a Mediterranean country, Turkey. Studying seasonality and its measurement with the comparison of different methods could first provide useful guidelines for the countries, which may have similar problems, and could also broaden the current view in the related literature since the focus is also on the comparison of the widely used methods in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study depends on the current literature and makes evaluations based on the secondary data acquired from the statistical publications of The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.FindingsThe findings reveal that none of the methods is superior to any other. They complement the weaknesses of one another. Therefore, it is suggested that destinations, when measuring their seasonality, should evaluate seasonality by applying different methods in order to give a proper decision to solve the problem caused by seasonality.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the seasonality literature by employing different measurement methods in a holistic way. It reveals differences and similarities among the different methods, using the case of a Mediterranean country, Turkey.