Research proposal

Seasonality is an issue which deeply affects tourism in many areas including Scotland. The reasons for seasonality can be broadly split into occurring for natural reasons; changes in climate, precipitation and daylight or institutional reasons; cultural preferences and fashions amongst those who travel to the destination.  The latter is arguably the more difficult to manage as it can be unpredictable.  The fluctuations in demand that cause seasonality are important to the destination as it can impact on such diverse areas such as employment, commercial success of businesses and the other stakeholders involved in the destination.  Seasonality is obviously a concern in those destinations that have a greater reliance on tourism than others.

The research will consider issues such as the current value and volume of tourism in Scotland and the region under focus in the case study; the Borders. This will allow greater analysis of the impact of seasonality, enhancing the importance of addressing the subsequent problems.

The nature and appeal of adventure tourism will also be addressed as this will demonstrate the suitability of the activity as a year-round option in addressing fluctuations in tourism demand.

After looking at the background of the problem and the suggested solution, the research will identify if it is in fact a feasible proposition. If it is found to be not, reasons for this will be presented together with suggested alternative solutions to address seasonality. If it is found to be a feasible solution, further recommendations will be made.

The aim of this study is, therefore, to identify ways in which seasonality may be addressed in the region in order that the differences between the different periods be minimised, displaying a more even spread throughout the year. The study does not aim to examine how overall tourism may be increased as it is important to recognise that over-saturation of the destination during peak months can lead to visitor management problems with a likely increase in negative impacts.

Progress of literature review

The literature review is taking shape now that I know to use sub headings and it is not required to critically analyse what I am reading. The invention of myilibrary and ebrary is fabulous! Certainly easier to research than when I did my first degree in the pre-internet olden days.

I am finding a lot of useful information that is giving me ideas for the wider dissertation content. It is also allowing me to find out different perspectives which I hadn't thought of before the the reading. I hope to get the first draft of the review done soon so I can proof read it and fine tune a bit more. Learning from previous mistakes, I am remembering to do my references as I go along - the most important piece of advice of them all!

Progress and structure

Following the meeting with my supervisor, the proposal is taking shape and progressing well. Statistics found on seasonality in the Tweed Valley were not ideal but certainly show enough of a trend of seasonality to progress with the original outline.

Further ideas on research methods and design were discussed too - I am going to speak directly to users of the Glentress facilities to find out their current and intended usage during off-peak times. I also need to interview business owners in the area to get their opinions of how seasonality affects their business and it will be interesting to see how this differs amongst equipment hire / maintenance places, accommodation and catering facilities.

my main concerns are getting the required number of receipients for each of these types of research and so I am going to start soon on trying to gather what I need. The interviews need to be at least 30 minutes long! A big ask of busy people during their busiest period !

At least it all looks manageable now!!!

Low level perma-panic

Considering the comments made by my supervisor last time, I am trying to undertake more research to back up the initial idea I have for the study. There are not a lot of Peebles-specific statistics out there although I do have a couple of contacts to follow up. the more research I do, the more contradictions I seem to find - is this normal?  Am I totally heading in the wrong direction and wasting all the time I have spent so far? To me, it seems clear and valid which surely means it can't be that simple.
I have another meeting next week and am in limbo trying to decide whether to power on (in the wrong direction?) or have faith in my idea and carry on.

Tourism in Peebles

Having met my tutor last week, she is concerned that Peebles' existing tourism industry is not strong enough to show a seasonality pattern. I am now researching this but can only find figures for tourism in the Borders as a total which gives me quite a weak base to start with and could potentially require me to change my topic.

Draft proposal

Well, my draft proposal was submitted this week and now just waiting for its approval. Looking to investigate if year round mountain biking is the answer to seasonality in tourism. Can the money being invested in Glentress help to attract users outside the main summer and school holiday periods?