Hallmark Events: An Evaluation of a Strategic Response to Seasonality in the Travel Market

Abstract

Cyclical demand in the leisure, recreation, and travel markets is a major factor contributing to low productivity and low returns on investment among the suppliers of goods and services to these markets. One strategic response to "the seasonality problem," which has had varying degrees of success in different regions, is termed the Hallmark Event. Such events, built around a major theme, serve to focus tourism and recreational planning on a particular period of the year. The present research provides both an in-depth, cross-sectional study of one such activity (The Quebec Winter Carnaval) as well as a longitudinal analysis of the event's evolution over its 20-year history. Finally, the social and economic implications of the findings are discussed with a view to aiding persons interested in developing such events.

Visitor attractions and events: Responding to seasonality

“…Within this positive frame, events are widely positioned as a strategic tool to assist in combating seasonality, a premise established in an early study by Ritchie and Beliveau (1974) and discussed in the context of peripheral destinations by Baum and Hagen (1999). In such respect, events can distort temporal imbalances (Goulding 2008).…”

“…Inherent in this process is recognising the critical challenges of low productivity, and the potential of specific products and experiences to increase visitor demand during off-peak periods through product development and diversification. The development and application of event strategies to combat seasonality is acknowledged as one way to overcome seasonality (Ritchie and Beliveau (1974;Baum and Hagen 1999;Getz 2012) through expanding the tourist season, spreading demand to alternative locations and geographic areas, diversifying and increasing the appeal of destinations for existing and new markets, and creating a favourable destination image (see Getz 1989). An exploration of the use of events in the off-peak to encourage tourism is long overdue, particularly in the context of visitor attractions within a specific geographic area, given that admissions to attractions is one measure of seasonality (see Hartman 1986).…”

Sustainable Festival Populations: An Application of Organizational Ecology

“…Festivals are valued as cultural and social phenomena, and they frequently serve as tourist attractions and instruments of place marketing (Getz, 2008;Gibson, Waitt, Walmsley, & Connell, 2011;McKercher, Mei, & Tse, 2006;Ritchie & Beliveau, 1974;Stokes, 2008)-so much so that some authors have referred to the "festivalization" of urban policies and places (Häussermann & Siebel, 1993;Quinn, 2006;G. Richards, 2007).…”

Untitled

“…Ritchie and Beliveau (1974) for first time in literature define hallmark events. The industry of events gains momentum in 80's and 90's of the last century.One of the most influential research projects within that era is related to the first large organized travel -Grand Prix (Burns and Mules, 1989).…”