Profile of Modern on destinations.

Such information equips a tourism professional with the

Tourism
knowledge to cater to his clients or generate awareness.

7.2 SEASONS AND CLIMATE

Seasonally a year can be divided into four main periods that is distinguished
by special climatic conditions. Seasonal changes are due to the Earth
revolving around the sun. The seasons as recognised in the Northern
Hemisphere are:

Spring (21 March to 20 June)

Summer (21 June to 22 September)
Autumn (23 September to 21 December)
Winter (22 December to 20 March)

In the Northern Hemisphere, winter begins on ‘winter solstice’ which is the

day of the year with the shortest period of daylight. It usually occurs on
December 21 or 22. Summer begins on ‘summer solstice’ which is the day of
the year with the most daylight and usually falls either on June 20 or 21.
Spring and autumn begin on ‘equinoxes’, which are days that have equal
amounts of daylight and darkness. The spring equinox falls either on March
20 or 21 while the autumn equinox falls on September 22 or 23.

Seasons are important because of the climatic changes associated with them
and their impact on all forms of life. Even human beings are not spared from
this rhythm of cyclic variations in climate. The average weather conditions
prevailing in an area over successive years is taken to be the climate of that
region. The basic elements which constitute the weather conditions are:

• the temperature of the air,

• the humidity of the air,
• type and amount of cloudiness,
• type and amount of precipitation,
• atmospheric pressure, and
• speed and direction of the wind.

The specific measurements of the above factors represent the weather

conditions at any given time in a place. They, however, keep on changing
over time and space leading to varied weather conditions. The factors which
affect the weather conditions include the:

• radiant energy of the sun,

• earth’s atmosphere which modulates the passage of solar radiation, and
• natural landforms and geophysical features of the earth’s surface, like
mountains, valleys, oceans, ice-caps, deserts, lakes, river, etc.

By and large similar weather conditions prevail at the same point of time
102 during successive years in a given place. The average measurements, thus,
discerned over a period of few years are described as the climate of that Seasonality and
Tourism in India
place. The climate of any particular region is also determined by its
geographical location and physiographical features. In the Indian sub-
continent, the climate is influenced by the alternating monsoons and consists
of four principal seasons. These are:

Cold weather season (December to February)

Hot weather season (March to May)
Advancing monsoon season (June to September)
Retreating/withdrawing monsoon season (October to November)

Here you must remember that all tourism professional must be well equipped
to answer the queries related to weather. About any destination you may be
asked frequently what is the humidity level there. Will it rain during the time
of our visit? Which is the best season to visit? and so on. This makes the
information on weather forecasts and reports important in tourism. You must
be aware that the media plays a vital role in this regard. Radio Stations and
Television carry out daily weather bulletins. The newspapers also report on
the weather. Besides you get to know about the weather of different
destinations world over through published reports and charts etc. Now there
are many weather forecasting websites and Application programme (Apps)
through which we can access even real-time weather conditions.

7.3 SEASONALITY IN TOURISM

The seasonal variations in climate make a significant impact on travel and
tourism. The most visible impact is the emergence of tourist seasons because
of climatic changes. People move to cooler places like beaches and mountain
resorts during summer months and move to warmer areas during winter. The
development of hill stations in India is primarily due to this phenomenon.
When the mercury goes up in the plains of India, the hilltops are usually cool
and pleasant. The British rulers in India, therefore, developed several hill
stations to have a comfortable life during hot weather seasons. These include
Srinagar, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Mussoorie, Nainital,
Shillong, Darjeeling, Mount Abu, Kodaikanal and Ooty. Several millions of
international and domestic tourists visit these hill stations every year during
hot weather season. In fact, it is an escape from unpleasant weather. Some of
them have also become popular for winter sports activities during cold
weather seasons.
India also has a coastline of about 7500 km providing a comparatively cool
climate during summer and warmth during winter. Beach tourism is thus
becoming popular in India with the development of some of the
internationally known beaches in Goa, Kovalam, Mamallapuram, Puri,
Konark, Gopalpur-on-Sea, etc. The climatic differences between different
regions have thus helped India to develop beach and hill tourism.
The tourist movement in the whole of the world is influenced by climatic
seasons. Tourist looks for better weather conditions. Hence, from the tourism
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Profile of Modern point of view, the hot season is the peak season at hill stations. Millions of
Tourism
tourists flock to Mediterranean beaches in Europe and west coast beaches in
the United States during summer. During winter, the tourists travel to warmer
regions including India. Relatively few international tourists visit India
during summer months as compared to the winter season. The peak tourist
season in India is from October to March with the largest arrivals during the
month of December. The lean tourist season is from April to June with the
lowest arrivals usually during the month of May.
The diversity of climates in India with its several striking contrasts is also a
motivation for the movement of domestic tourists from one part of the
country to another. While Assam in the east presents extreme dampness,
Rajasthan in the west presents extreme dryness. Similarly, Punjab in the
north has a continental climate with alternating fierce summer heat and
winter cold, while Kerala in the south has a tropical maritime climate with
almost little variation in the average temperature and have uniformly moist
air throughout the year. These contrasts in climate between different regions
drive millions of people to travel across the country in different seasons.
There is normally a heavy rush of tourists from north to south during hot
weather season and from south to north during the northeast monsoon.

MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE

Origin Origin Origin

×

Winter Sports

Pleasant Cold Weather

Cool Weather

Hot Weather

Figure 1.1: Movement of People

Another aspect to be taken note of is the seasonality variation as per the

location of the destination. This could be between:
• National and regional levels,
• Central and remote locations,
• Urban and rural locations.

Studies in this area have demonstrated that large cities have a less seasonal
pattern compared to the remote tourist destination. Some of the reasons
behind the greater degree of seasonality experienced by remote or peripheral
destinations in comparison to the centrally located destinations can be
attributed to the following:
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• Remoteness implies difficult to access and longer travel time, Seasonality and
Tourism in India
• Services tend to be limited and may operate at certain times of the year
when demand justifies their availability,
• Some destinations in remote areas are from the climatic point of view
accessible for limited time periods, and
• visitation to certain remote areas are from the climatic or even practical
point of view is limited to only specific time period in a year.

7.3.1 Types of Seasonality

There are different types of seasonality and the tourist seasons emerge
because of different reasons. Let us briefly examine them.

i) Climatic Seasonality is related to the natural climatic seasons in a year.

This you have already learnt. For example, there is a movement of
tourists from hot climate regions towards cooler destinations in summer
months and this becomes the peak season for hill stations. Similarly, to
escape the winter snow and extremely cold weather conditions the
tourists move in search of sunny beaches. Since the climatic variations
are similar every year (minor variables maybe there) the tourist season
and the monthly cycles of tourist movement are more or less easily
identifiable. For example, the maximum tourist arrivals from the Western
countries in India are between October and February.
ii) Non-Climatic Attractions or what can be termed as institutionalized
seasonality in tourism emerges out of religious, cultural, ethnic and
social aspects of human life. Festivals, pilgrimage and fairs, etc are
examples to be cited in this regard.
Other elements in this form of seasonality which is a result of human
decisions include:
• Public holidays,
• Educational holidays,
• Industrial holidays, and
• Family holidays.
iii) Social Pressure or Fashion is another aspect which brings about or
effects tourism seasonality. This has also been termed as social
seasonality. The affluent, elite and dominant social classes set certain
trends wherein it becomes socially necessary to participate. Soon these
trends are imitated or picked up by others. Travel for a honeymoon can
be cited as one such example in this regard. Sooner or later such trends
become accepted social activities among a larger populace.
iv) Sporting Season is another aspect which has resulted out of the varied
nature of recreation and tourist activity. Winter sports like skiing and
water sports like surfing are examples to be cited here. Further, there is a
lot of tourist movement during major sporting events like Olympics,
cricket, hockey and football matches, etc.
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Profile of Modern v) Tradition also plays a role in seasonality. For example, a family was
Tourism
always taking a trip when schools were closed for longer durations. A
stage comes when the children have grown up, they are no more learning
and the family trip should not be tied up with school holidays. Still, the
family takes a holiday during those months because of the old habit.

Hence, we see that it is not just because of the climatic variations that the
tourism seasonality gets affected but a variety of other factors also contribute
to it.
India is a land of fairs and festivals. Therefore,the festive season is of great
importance in India since it impacts the movement of both local people and
tourist alike.The different regions of the country do have specific crops and
periods of cultivation depending on their climatic seasons. The period of
plenty after the harvest in every agricultural season is, therefore, the time for
rejoicing and celebrations. Many fairs and festivals have thus come into
being as a part of Indian social life. The Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu, Poush
Mela at Shantiniketan, the festival of Nongkrem in Meghalaya and Onam
festival in Kerala are a few such festivals. Several other festivals of historic
and religious significance are also being celebrated in different parts of the
country. Republic Day and Independence Day are examples of historic days
being celebrated while examples of religious festivals include Shivratri, Id-
ul-Fitr, Rath Yatra, Diwali, Christmas, Id-ul-Zuha, Janmashtami, Ganesh
Chaturthi etc

In fact, the Indian calendar is dotted with hundreds of fairs and festivals
which are celebrated with devotion and spiritual fervour. The sheer splendour
of these festivals can have no rivals. They depict a passion for colours,
surrender to ecstasy and an unwavering faith in the beauty of life. These fairs
and festivals have become a source of great tourist attraction in recent years.
A number of them are, therefore, being organised systematically and given
wide publicity to attract tourists. These include a few festivals celebrated
everywhere or in most parts of the country and others celebrated only in
specific regions. For example, Holi is celebrated in different parts of the
country but it is the Holi of Mathura and Vrindavan that has become a tourist
attraction. Similar is the case with Dussehra at Mysore or Kullu. You will be
learning in more details about fairs and festivals in the next Unit.

7.4 PROBLEMS AND BENEFITS OF

SEASONALITY IN TOURISM
Seasonality and seasonal fluctuations create certain problems and also
benefits for both the destination as well as the producers of tourism services.

Problems
During the peak season, the problems which emerge are related to the
carrying capacity, serving capacity, lack of trained manpower, etc. The lean
or off-season brings the problems of:
• declining profits,
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• high maintenance costs, Seasonality and
Tourism in India
• unemployment, closures, etc.
In fact, off-season or lean seasons in tourism are always seen as a problem
which:

• reduces the volume of business and reduces profits,

• deters investment as the returns on the capital invested may not be
possible.

Thus, all efforts are geared towards solving this problem by overcoming,
modifying or reducing its effects. For example, how to cope with weekend
rush or how to deal with under-utilization of resources during lean or off-
seasons.

Benefits
If we judge purely from the point of view of environmental impacts and
interaction between the locals and the visitors, the seasonal nature of a
destination proves to be a boon in disguise. Seasonality is not necessarily bad
for everyone. Individuals need a release from stress and a certain population
may not be able to bear the stress of catering to the tourists throughout the
year.

The social and cultural patterns of a community at a destination can be

disrupted by tourism. It is only the off-season which provides a breather to
them and allows them to perform their activities. Similarly, an offseason
offers recovery to the destination from the environmental point of view. In
fact, many eco-fragile areas are intentionally closed to increase their life
cycle. Thus, seasonality, which is a problem from the economic point of
view, becomes beneficial from the point of view of environmental
conservation.
Check Your Progress 1

1) Discuss the link between climate and tourism.

……………………………………………………………………….........
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2) What do you mean by the festival season?

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Profile of Modern 3) Why do people go to hill stations in summer?
Tourism
……………………………………………………………………….........
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……………………………………………………………………….........

7.5 SPREADING SEASONALITY EVENLY

Practically every tourist destination should attempt to evenly spread
seasonality. However, only a few destinations pay attention to this aspect.
Initially, the aim is to get a larger number of tourists and little or no thought
is given to the time they are to be attracted. The image that has been built of
the Indian tourism product in the world markets is a typical example in this
regard. The months April to August were not promoted which has resulted in
creating off-season problems for many destinations. There are benefits of
evenly spread seasonality. Some of the benefits are listed below:

1) More enjoyable holidays for larger numbers of people, without the

overcrowding so common in the peak seasons.
2) Optimal utilization of tourism facilities-hotels, aircraft and other
transport, beaches and entertainment, it will then not be necessary to build
so many hotels for a particular number of tourists each year, with
ecological as well as economic advantages.
3) More even employment of hotel and other tourist staff, aiding their
careers and improving the service offered.
4) Reduced average prices and/or increased profitability.
In fact an evenly spread seasonality attempts to tackle the problems of peak
season rush or those of a single main tourism season. Some of the methods
which can be adopted are discussed below.
In the case of a single season tourist destination:

• extend or lengthen the main season by adding more attractions before or

after the peak season months,
• providing such activities like conventions, festivals, special interests, etc.
which are not dependent on the climatic conditions and can be timed
outside the peak season,
• establishing additional seasons (second season or third season) after re-
assessing the cultural, climatic or natural attractions of the destination.
For examples, some hill stations in north India have been able to build a
second tourist season which is linked with snowfall and winter sports. As
soon as the media reports a snowfall in Shimla, Nainital or Mussoorie
people from the neighbouring regions rush there. The duration of stay is
not long, maybe two or three days only but from the business point of
view, it is an additional season. No wonder one hears comments in social
circles: “Oh Shimla is too crowded in summers, we only go when there is
snowfall!” On the cultural side, an example that can be cited in this
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 regard is the Dushera festival at Kullu which attracts tourists in the month Seasonality and
Tourism in India
of October.
• promoting and encouraging tourism outside the peak season,
• encouraging domestic tourism in periods that are off-season for
international tourism.

In case of already more than one peak season situation for a destination, the
efforts can be directed towards filling the gap periods by adding more
activities, events and attractions. Another effort towards spreading
seasonality evenly is the use of pricing strategies for attracting tourists during
the off-season. This we will explain in a subsequent sub-section of this Unit.
You should however keep in mind that the applicability of any of the
methods listed above will vary from destination to destination.

7.6 MEASUREMENT OF SEASONALITY

The measurement of seasonality is usually achieved through time series
which is defined as the numerical record or values of the given variable at
successive intervals of time. A time-series usually consists of the following
four components:
1) Trend – It is the general tendency of the series to gradually increase or
decrease over a period of time. For example, the international tourist
arrivals in India were increasing steadily over the years from a low base
during 1951.
2) Cyclic Movement – It represents oscillations of greater or lesser
regularity about the trend. The oscillation or booms and depressions occur
at large intervals of time.
3) Seasonal Movement – It represents the fluctuations in the series which
occur at regular intervals of time, not exceeding a year. For example, the
international tourist arrivals are usually the highest during December and
the lowest during May in India.
4) Random Component or Irregular Fluctuations – The fluctuations
which are not governed by any law or regularity and are purely haphazard
are referred to as a random component.
5) There are several statistical techniques for the estimation of each of the
above components from a time series. Seasonal movement can be
measured easily with the help of seasonal indices. It is the percentage
ratio of the average value of the variable during the specified season to
the overall average per season. Usually, the seasonal indices are
calculated either for each month or for each quarter. In case the time
series is available for each month for a period of ten years the monthly
index for any month is estimated by using the following formula:
Average value for the month "m"
Im = × 100
Overall average value per month

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Profile of Modern Total of the values for the month/10
Tourism = × 100
Total of the values for all the months/12 × 10
Total of the values for the month × 1200
=
Total of the values for all the months

7.7 IMPACT OF SEASONALITY ON

DESTINATION MANAGEMENT AND
MARKETING
The seasonality issue in any destination seriously affects the employment
potential and hence has an impact on the human resource management
system of tourism enterprises. During the lean tourist season, when the
number of tourist arrivals lessens, the providers of various tourist services
tend to retain only the minimum number of persons on a regular basis. On the
other hand, the excess demand during peak periods is met by extending the
working hours of existing employees or by recruiting people on an ad hoc
basis for short periods of time. Even, self-employed persons may have to
remain idle during lean periods as there may not be enough demand for their
services. They have to, therefore, find alternate jobs in other sectors of the
economy during such periods. At times, because of climatic variations, the
job market is affected during the peak season also. For example, early rains in
the plains during summer check the flow of tourists to hill stations having a
chain reaction on the employment pattern there.
A primary concern of destination management is the carrying capacity which
is defined as the threshold limit of tourist traffic. Beyond a specified carrying
capacity the tourists can cause serious damage to the resources of the
destination including its environment and ecology. As you have learnt earlier,
in the case of seasonality, these limits are applied to peak season arrivals.

In effect, the largest number of tourists who can stay in an area sets the limits
of peak season traffic. As a result of the above limit, there is usually a
problem of excess capacity in the tourism infrastructure during lean periods.
For example, in the case of a hill station, where the tourist traffic is mainly
during summer months, the hotel rooms and restaurants may remain idle
during winter months. There has to be, therefore, proper infrastructural
planning to ensure optimum utilisation of available capacity. The usual
practice is to create only so much of capacity which would ensure an average
capacity utilisation of about 70 per cent throughout the year. The excess
demand, if any, during peak period is normally met by “overloading” and
temporary facilities. Overloading is often achieved by converting regular
rooms into dormitories and by extending guest accommodation to other
utility areas. Temporary facilities are usually tented accommodation,
temporary huts, accommodation in transport units, etc. But sometimes this
also fails. For example, many destinations nowadays issue press
release/statements to the effect that those who have no bookings for
accommodation should not visit the destination during specified peak tourist
visiting months for they may not get a place to stay. The carrying capacity of
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a destination is a major variable for destination planners and marketing Seasonality and
Tourism in India
managers in dealing with tourism seasonality.

The peak season rush also creates certain problems at the destination and in
most of the cases, these problems are aggravating. For example, these
include:

• the pressure on local-bodies to deal with the garbage and waste,

• price rise, and
• shortage in essential supplies like water and electricity to the local
residents.

All these affect the nature of guest-host relationships. The attitudes of the
host population, environmental concerns, the role of local bodies and the
developmental role of marketing must be taken into account while planning
the marketing mix.

So far as the lean tourist season traffic is concerned, the tourism industry has
adopted certain promotional and pricing measures. Let us list some of these
methods.
• Price reduction,
• Differential pricing for products/services,
• Price variations,
• Seasonal discounts,
• Extra services,
• Special fares, etc.
All such prices discounts/incentives have to be quoted much in advance for
the packaged tours. The marketing manager has to take note of this fact that
any tourist will take a tour outside the peak season only when there are
sufficient incentives. For example, discounted pricing may attract these
tourists who otherwise could not have afforded the holiday. It’s a different
matter that the organization offering discounts may cut down on some of the
services or facilities or offer extra services. Most of the tourism producers
depend heavily on intermediaries for selling. However, during off-season or
lean periods, they do adopt a direct sales approach through personal selling
and advertisements.
The marketing strategy for any destination or facility has to be formulated
based on the extent of seasonality and the capacities available. It would
involve special promotions, off-season prices and development of new
products. For example, in the case of hill resorts winter sports can be
developed as a special attraction and sold at special off-season prices. The
development of new off-season markets to achieve demand substitution by
domestic and regional tourists is yet another method of dealing with
seasonality in tourism. Thus, a clear understanding of seasonality is a primary
requisite in formulating effective tourism marketing strategies.
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Profile of Modern
Tourism
Check Your Progress - 2
1) How can seasonal movement be measured?
…………………………………………………………………………
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2) What is overloading?
…………………………………………………………………………
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3) Discuss the link between seasonality and employment potential at a

destination.
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…………………………………………………………………………

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…………………………………………………………………………

7.8 LET US SUM UP

Seasonality has its own meaning in relation to tourism. Variations in climate
have their own impact on travel and tourism. Tourist seasons are governed by
climate conditions at the place of origin as well as the destination. Other
factors which affect tourism seasonality include institutionalised seasonality
which emerges out of religious, cultural or social aspects of human life and
human decisions; the need to conform to social pressure; a personal tradition
of going on a holiday trip only at a certain fixed time of the year etc.

There are problems and benefits associated with seasonality in tourism. For
example, during the peak season, the problems which emerge are related to
the carrying capacity, serving capacity, lack of trained manpower, etc. During
the lean season, reduction in business volume and loss of employment are the
main concerns. On the positive side, an offseason offers recovery to the
destination from the stress and congestion of increased tourist traffic. To
maintain a balance, every tourist destination should attempt to evenly spread
seasonality. There are ways to measure seasonality in tourism; time-series
being the most commonly used method.

Seasonality has its impact on destination management, employment and

marketing. Human resource management is one of them. Another primary
concern is managing to stay within the carrying capacity or the threshold
112
limit of tourist traffic during the peak season. On the contrary, during the lean Seasonality and
Tourism in India
season, special promotional and advertising campaigns are carried out to
increase the tourist inflow. Thus marketing strategy for any destination or
facility has to be formulated on the basis of the extent of seasonality and the
capacities available.

7.9 KEYWORDS
Climate : Average weather conditions prevailing in an area
over successive years
Debris : Heap of rejected articles
Destination : Place to be visited
Dormitory : Sleeping room with several beds
Fluctuation : Frequent changes in the quantity
Haphazard : Casual
Infrastructure : Permanent installation of basic nature
Lean Period : Off-season time
Linear : In the form of line
Optimum : Maximum
Oscillation : Periodic to and fro movement
Proximity : Nearness
Quantity : To be able to measure
Remote : Not easily reached
Threshold : Minimum point below which the object becomes
unidentifiable

7.10 ANSWERS TO ‘CHECK YOUR PROGRESS’

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress - 1
1) Mention how climate decides the movement of tourist, e.g., visiting hill
station during the hot summers. See Sec. 7.3.
2) A period of festivals that serves as an attraction to a tourist to visit the
destination. See Sec. 7.3.
3) Naturally, in order to escape from the heat and dryness.
Check Your Progress - 2
1) Base your answer on Sec. 7.6
2) Overloading in tourism terminology means meeting the excess demand
through readjustments in the existing infrastructure, e.g., converting a
single bedroom into a double bed one. See Sec. 7.6.
3) Base your answer on Sec. 7.7

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