The evolution of tourism destinations is a critical issue in tourism studies. Butler's Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC) theory is the most influential framework for researching the evolution of tourism destinations. Although numerous researchers have substantiated or modified the TALC theory, its applicability and predictability remain debated. To further advance existing knowledge about the evolution of tourism areas, a more systematic and theoretical analysis is needed. This study re-evaluates the y-axis in the TALC model through a case study of Grand Canyon National Park in the United States. The findings suggest that the long-term TALC is more suitable when using the cumulative number of visitors as a metric, while the short-term TALC is more appropriate when using the annual number of visitors as a metric. As tourism development rises and falls, the destination's evolution unfolds in a series of waves, with several short-term cycles collectively forming a long-term cycle. Moreover, from a short-term perspective, this study also explores the macro-environmental factors contributing to the five recession periods and two stagnation periods experienced by Grand Canyon National Park. The primary contribution of this study is the introduction of a novel dual TALC framework and the demonstration of its effectiveness using data from the Grand Canyon National Park. Finally, the potential managerial implications for tourist destination development are discussed.

Ping Liao, Shurui Gu. An empirical study on the dual TALC model. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2024) Vol. 6, Issue 9: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2024.060901.

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