Aiko Dubois

Resources are limited. You are right: considering local events as always paramount is a mistake. Time is short. The real impact depends on what we are looking for. A concrete example where flexibility is essential, even in the face of a major event, is the Rio Carnival. Despite the influx and exorbitant prices, many choose to travel at other times to avoid the crowds, enjoying a more authentic and less expensive experience.

Half right, half overestimated: the influence of local events is undeniable, but reducing it to a systematically determining factor ignores nuances.
It is a valid concern to study the impact of an event, but one must also consider the nature of the traveler and the specificity of the event.
Here, a large turnout for the Dakar Biennale can make accommodation unavailable if not planned well.
However, a small neighborhood cultural event, charming as it may be, will not always dictate a traveler's decision, especially if their flexibility is high.

What we can agree on is that local events are a valid element to consider, but labeling them as absolute decisive is an excessive simplification.
Their impact is often conditional, depending on the traveler's goals and flexibility.
For example, a pilgrimage like the Grand Magal of Touba in Senegal will impact certain regions, making reservations difficult in Touba itself, but does not cancel the possibility of visiting other cities or the rest of the country.
It is crucial to adapt planning to local realities and expectations rather than seeing events as universal barriers.

It is true that the goal of the traveler is central, but claiming that the analysis of local events is not always crucial lacks nuance for destinations like Senegal.
Availability and prices can be radically altered by events like the Gamou in Tivaouane or the Grand Magal of Touba, even impacting a business trip.
Ignoring these manifestations, even for a short stay, can lead to unexpected costs or complicated logistics.
A fair middle ground would be to consider the impact of local events as a strong conditional variable, never entirely negligible, especially in contexts where religious or cultural festivals mobilize millions of people and saturate infrastructure.

The idea that local events are always a major factor in destination validation is an oversimplification; their weight is often conditional and depends on the traveler's objectives.
An event can drastically influence the atmosphere and costs, but for many, flexibility is king and other priorities take precedence.
In Senegal, for example, Tabaski increases prices, but if the goal is to visit family, the event is managed as a random factor, not a destination choice criterion.
The real question is the purpose of the trip, because the search for experience is different from family imperative.
There is a just middle ground between avoiding crowds and the obligation to travel.