Examining Seasonality in Tourism with Special Reference to the Recent Effects of Covid-19 – The Case of the Sopron-Fertő Tourism Destination (Hungary)

Abstract Seasonality, meaning that the vast majority of tourist locations do not distribute arrivals evenly throughout the year, in tourism, it is widely regarded as one of the most crucial problems for the majority of the world’s destinations, particularly in terms of sustainability. Nevertheless, despite its importance and that this unbalanced nature has become one of tourism’s most distinguishing characteristics, we can say that no globally comparable international measurement of seasonality is currently available. Based on the abovementioned phenomena, the main objective of the present study and research is to detect and analyse the tourism seasonality of a case study area, the Sopron-Fertő destination (Hungary), using multiple methodologies such as the Gini index, a representative consumer questionnaire and expert interviews. The analysis demonstrates seasonality in tourism demand between 2008–2021, based on which implications on product development and new directions and challenges, influenced by the most recent impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, are revealed and suggested.