Do destinations have multiple lifecycles?

This research note tests the proposition empirically that destinations have multiple lifecycles. It studies tourist arrivals to over 200 destination countries and economies over a 35 year period and applies Butler's parameters to map their lifecycles. Six different lifecycle patterns were identified. Empirical findings from this study echo's Baggio's conceptual notation by showcasing that destination lifecycles seems to follow specific traits commensurate with other destinations to form a typology of networked lifecycles. In other words, we go beyond the single-destination lifecycle paradigm to improvise a new research direction that centers on co-occurrence of destination changes that reflect a certain type of lifecycle. It paves the way by introducing the concept of destination coevolution as an analogy to describe lifecycle reciprocity among a cluster of destinations that undergo a similar evolutionary odyssey.

Automated summary

The study identified six different destination lifecycle patterns and demonstrated that destination lifecycles seem to follow specific traits, forming a typology of networked lifecycles. It introduces the concept of destination coevolution to describe lifecycle reciprocity among a cluster of destinations undergoing a similar evolutionary journey.