From the management of seasonality and tourist destinations towards a diversified and efficient tourism industry: Case of Agadir

Abstract

This research study will present a theoretical synthesis from the literature as well as a quantitative study conducted on the impact of seasonality on tourist activity for the destination Agadir, Morocco and its performance. Based on a questionnaire carried out with 100 tourists (national and international) of the Agadir destination in order to know the time of year in which tourists visit the city of Agadir, to know the reasons why tourists choose this period, determine the average length of their stay, identify the reasons for their trips, and know the travel behavior of tourists visiting this destination (transport, activities, expectations, motivations, etc.).

As well as an interview guide intended for professionals in the tourism sector of the city of Agadir, where we have targeted tourism stakeholders including accommodation establishments, travel agencies, restaurants, bazaar shops and others. By interviewing a sample of twenty-five of the most important players in this destination, from all tourism professions combined, knowing that the objective is to identify whether they suffer from a seasonality problem or not, to identify their periods of the most profitable year, to measure the impact of this seasonality phenomenon in terms of income, to know the communication channels that these professionals use and finally to identify the means used to deal with this seasonality during the low season and to make the Agadir destination efficient throughout the year. The results of this quantitative study will constitute the basis on which we will base our discussions and our recommendations in order to act on the tourism sector.

Keywords: Tourism, seasonality, performance, tourism marketing, tourist destination.

JEL classification: M21

Paper type: Empirical Research