Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights
Seasonality, a defining characteristic of tourism, is recognized as a significant challenge for regional tourism, affecting local economies and limiting sustainable development. Among the various strategies that the literature suggests to alleviate its negative effects, the organization of events st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Tourism and Hospitality |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/66 |
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| author | Sofia Gkarane Chris Vassiliadis Iordanis Kotzaivazoglou Garyfallos Fragidis Vasiliki Vrana |
| author_facet | Sofia Gkarane Chris Vassiliadis Iordanis Kotzaivazoglou Garyfallos Fragidis Vasiliki Vrana |
| author_sort | Sofia Gkarane |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seasonality, a defining characteristic of tourism, is recognized as a significant challenge for regional tourism, affecting local economies and limiting sustainable development. Among the various strategies that the literature suggests to alleviate its negative effects, the organization of events stands out. In particular, sport events have gained recognition as an essential element for all-year round tourism development. However, a deeper understanding of how tourism practitioners (those experiencing the personal and financial difficulties of seasonality) perceive the potential of sport events to smooth its challenges has not yet been explored enough. This study aims to fill this gap by examining tourism practitioners’ views on the role of sport events, particularly running ones, in mitigating tourism seasonality. To achieve this, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with tourism practitioners from selected regions of Greece who, as active stakeholders, shared their perspectives in the development of regional tourism through the year round. The data gathered from these interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that most of the respondents recognize seasonality as a significant challenge and they share a common concern regarding its adverse effects on both regional tourism and on their local businesses. Themes of survival and sustainability emerged consistently, emphasizing the need to implement various initiatives, aside from sport events, to mitigate its effects. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on seasonality, focusing on its economic and social implications, particularly from the perspective of tourism professionals. It also provides practical recommendations for destination managers on utilizing sport events as a tool for promoting tourism during off-season periods. Lastly, the findings highlight the need for localized and collaborative initiatives to address seasonality issues and support sustainable development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-963f909937044e3c92b9dcba8a024e06 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-5768 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Tourism and Hospitality |
| spelling | doaj-art-963f909937044e3c92b9dcba8a024e062025-08-20T03:26:56ZengMDPI AGTourism and Hospitality2673-57682025-04-01626610.3390/tourhosp6020066Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner InsightsSofia Gkarane0Chris Vassiliadis1Iordanis Kotzaivazoglou2Garyfallos Fragidis3Vasiliki Vrana4Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, 54636 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, 54636 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Business Administration, International Hellenic University, 62124 Serres, GreeceDepartment of Business Administration, International Hellenic University, 62124 Serres, GreeceDepartment of Business Administration, International Hellenic University, 62124 Serres, GreeceSeasonality, a defining characteristic of tourism, is recognized as a significant challenge for regional tourism, affecting local economies and limiting sustainable development. Among the various strategies that the literature suggests to alleviate its negative effects, the organization of events stands out. In particular, sport events have gained recognition as an essential element for all-year round tourism development. However, a deeper understanding of how tourism practitioners (those experiencing the personal and financial difficulties of seasonality) perceive the potential of sport events to smooth its challenges has not yet been explored enough. This study aims to fill this gap by examining tourism practitioners’ views on the role of sport events, particularly running ones, in mitigating tourism seasonality. To achieve this, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with tourism practitioners from selected regions of Greece who, as active stakeholders, shared their perspectives in the development of regional tourism through the year round. The data gathered from these interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. The results indicate that most of the respondents recognize seasonality as a significant challenge and they share a common concern regarding its adverse effects on both regional tourism and on their local businesses. Themes of survival and sustainability emerged consistently, emphasizing the need to implement various initiatives, aside from sport events, to mitigate its effects. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on seasonality, focusing on its economic and social implications, particularly from the perspective of tourism professionals. It also provides practical recommendations for destination managers on utilizing sport events as a tool for promoting tourism during off-season periods. Lastly, the findings highlight the need for localized and collaborative initiatives to address seasonality issues and support sustainable development.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/66tourism seasonalitysport eventsdestination marketingoff-season tourismtourism professionals |
| spellingShingle | Sofia Gkarane Chris Vassiliadis Iordanis Kotzaivazoglou Garyfallos Fragidis Vasiliki Vrana Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights Tourism and Hospitality tourism seasonality sport events destination marketing off-season tourism tourism professionals |
| title | Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights |
| title_full | Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights |
| title_fullStr | Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights |
| title_short | Combating Seasonality in Regional Tourism: A Call to Action Through Sport Events and Practitioner Insights |
| title_sort | combating seasonality in regional tourism a call to action through sport events and practitioner insights |
| topic | tourism seasonality sport events destination marketing off-season tourism tourism professionals |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/2/66 |
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