Service quality gap and tourists’ satisfaction at rural destination: an empirical examination
by May-Chiun Lo; Abang Azlan Mohamad; Peter Songan; Alvin W. Yeo
International Journal of Leisure and Tourism Marketing (IJLTM), Vol. 2, No. 4, 2011

Abstract: Tourists’ satisfaction and service quality has each been the subject of extensive, but separate, research, although a great deal of interest on tourists’ satisfaction has been conducted in tourism setting. Little research has empirically examined the distinctions and the perceived satisfaction and actual satisfaction of tourists particularly in rural destination. This study was conducted, firstly, to assess the service quality gap by measuring tourists’ perceived and actual service performance and secondly, to identify the service quality dimensions on tourists’ satisfaction. The results revealed that there are significant differences between tourists’ expectation and their perceptions. All four dimensions showed that tourists’ expectation exceeded their perception with places having the smallest gap and outdoor activities having the largest gap. The analysis had shown that different service quality components had various impacts on tourists’ satisfaction. Implications of the findings, potential limitations of the study and directions for future research were discussed further.

Online publication date: Tue, 22-Nov-2011

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