Seasonality research: the state of the art

Abstract The paper reviews progress in the area of tourism seasonality research and is intended as a guide to the literature. The emphasis is on recent advances in this field. Amongst the various aspects considered are the definitions of seasonality, its causes and impacts, policy‐related issues, studies into consumer behaviour and approaches to measuring seasonality. The paper concludes that considerable gaps still exist in published research in this area and it argues that the field lacks a sound theoretical framework. It also suggests that adopting a more exacting quantitative perspective might facilitate and accelerate progress. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.