Tourism capacity and tourism area life cycle: the case of Magnesia prefecture

Abstract

One of the dominant theoretical approaches of recent years in the literature on tourism is the theory of the “Tourism Areas Life Cycle” (TALC). According to this theory, every tourism area goes through some distinct stages in its development: from the early stages of slow growth until the maturity stage of a tourism destination, which is followed by either rejuvenation or decline in tourism in an area. The article is divided into three parts. The first part is a brief outline of the theory of the “Tourism Area Life Cycle” as it has been developed in the literature in recent years and the debate it has created. The second part seeks to examine whether the tourism development in the region of Magnesia presents characteristics that correspond to any of the stages of development that the theoretical analysis expects. Also, the fact that the phenomenon of tourism in the area takes other dimensions beyond the “typical” form of visitor seeking accommodation and a range of other services and goes up to “atypical” forms of tourism such as second home owners, or day visitors, is discussed. These “informal” categories of tourists significantly affect the availability of resources and services; it is extremely difficult to record them, while in many cases they adversely affect the image of the area for the “typical” guests by crowding out the area. Based on the analysis of the first two sections, the last section of the work indicates some policies and actions, so that the region of Magnesia can retain its tourism flows, but also to improve its competitive position in the tourism sector which is one of the main development prospects available.