Title: How tourist motivations shape perceptions of service quality at pilgrimage sites

Authors: Vaishali Singh; Anjan Bhuyan

Addresses: Department of Professional Studies, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, 560029, India ' Department of Business Administration, Tezpur University (Central), Assam, 784028, India

Abstract: Previous research has not adequately examined how various tourist motivations affect perceived service quality at pilgrimage destinations. This study seeks to investigate the effect of various motives - religious pilgrimage, votive offerings, leisure, and meditation - on service quality perceptions at seven Jyotirlinga pilgrimage destinations in North India. A cross-sectional survey of 1047 visitors was carried out, and data were analysed through one-way ANOVA to determine significant differences between visitor groups. For multiple comparisons, Bonferroni and Games-Howell post hoc tests were used depending on the homogeneity of variances. The results show differences in service quality perceptions, specifically in desired facilities, safety and security, and transportation. Pilgrims interested in religious devotion emphasised safety, whereas leisure travellers gave more importance to the quality of facilities available and transportation. These findings have practical implications for pilgrimage site management, highlighting the importance of making targeted improvements in service delivery to meet the expectations of various visitor segments.

Keywords: service quality; motivation; pilgrimage sites; motives; Jyotirlinga; religious tourism; pilgrimage tourism; pilgrimage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTP.2025.147440

International Journal of Tourism Policy, 2025 Vol.15 No.3, pp.235 - 251

Received: 22 Nov 2024
Accepted: 15 Mar 2025
Published online: 15 Jul 2025 *

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