The Role of Congresses in Solving Tourism's Seasonal Problem: A Research on Local Stakeholders of Trabzon

Abstract

It has been revealed in many studies that there are low seasonal capacity usage and low profit margins stemming from seasonality at the beginning of the problems of tourism destinations. In addition to minimizing seasonal effects, congress tourism has the potential to create a higher profit margin. This study aims to determine the potential role of congress tourism in the region in order to increase the tourism season of Trabzon for a maximum of three months. The research is designed with qualitative research method. Tourism stakeholders in Trabzon constitute the universe of the research. The sample of the study consists of 26 participants selected by purposeful sampling method. The data obtained by the semi-structured interview technique were analyzed through the MaxQda package program. According to the results of the research, it has been determined that the province of Trabzon has the potential of congress tourism but has several deficiencies. It is noteworthy that the most important deficiency is the size and number of congress centers that are large enough to host international congresses. The weakness of the city, especially on international flights, and the high price of domestic flights are determined as a negative situation. In addition, it has been concluded that the natural, historical and cultural attractions of the city of Trabzon provide an advantage to the city in terms of congress tourism.