An analysis of seasonality in monthly per person tourist spending in Turkish inbound tourism from a market segmentation perspective

Abstract

This study analyses seasonal variations in monthly per person tourist spending in Turkish inbound tourism from a market segmentation perspective. In this study a seasonal unit root test and recently developed decomposition techniques (TRAMO-SEATS, X-12-ARIMA) are used. It is found that there is a stochastic and strong seasonality in per person tourist spending data. The findings interestingly show that the seasonal pattern in per person tourist spending is considerably different from the seasonal pattern in tourist arrivals. The results have implications for decision-makers in tourism both at micro- and macro-levels in terms of effective resource allocation and market segmentation.