Even though the World Tourism Organization described Sustainable Tourism as a tourism form that could contribute to the future survival of the industry, the current reality is quite different, since it has not been firmly established in society at expected levels. The present study analyzes which variables drive the consumption of this tourism type, taking tourist awareness as the key element. To this awareness, we must add the current crisis experienced by the tourism industry caused by COVID-19, since it can benefit Sustainable Tourism development, promoting less crowded destinations that favor social distancing. For this, the existing literature on Sustainable Tourism has been examined in order to create a model that highlights the relations among these variables. To determine the meaning of these relations, a sample of 308 tourists was analyzed through structural equation models using Partial Least Squares. The results show that there is a clear attitude on the part of the tourist to develop Sustainable Tourism, driven by the positive effects and motivation it entails, as well as the satisfaction the tourist perceives when consuming a responsible tourism type.
The perceptions of tourism stakeholders regarding the effects of tourism development in their communities are essential in ensuring the proper design and implementation of sustainable tourism development strategies in an area. We designed a survey to gather data about the attitudes of three stakeholders: tourists, residents, and business owners. The respondents were from the island of Sao Vicente in the African archipelago of Cape Verde, which is currently under expansion. The results showed that the three groups positively view increased tourism development in the area, with virtually no differences found between business owners and the other groups, although tourists had a more favourable opinion than residents. Engaging the three groups is essential for the success of tourism development.
Purpose The main purpose of this research was to develop a universal model to evaluate the perceived value of tourism services and satisfaction with, and loyalty to, destinations from the consumers’ perspective and demonstrated the model’s applicability in this context. Design/methodology/approach Using the structural equation model, cause and effect relationships were identified between the proposed model’s constructs, and indices of quality, satisfaction and loyalty among tourists were estimated. This system was applied to a large set of data collected with a structured questionnaire distributed to tourists visiting the city of Seville through a non-probabilistic sampling by intentional quotas method. In total, 922 valid surveys were obtained. Findings The indices show that tourists who visit Seville report a high level of loyalty to, and satisfaction with, this place because of the perceived quality of a variety of services. It is observed that the perceived quality index is much higher (17.95 per cent) than the expected quality index, so the quality of the service received by the tourist during his/her visit to Seville is described as excellent. Research limitations/implications Regarding this study’s limitations, other variables could have been included that influence tourist satisfaction, such as the climate, the effect of advertising medium, the prices and the emotional components. In addition, surveying tourists’ expectations before their visit is virtually impossible, as is surveying the same tourists again about their perceived value and satisfaction after their visit. Future lines of research could focus on the intersection of information between tourism offer and demand, providing information about an appropriate balance in specific markets. The proposed model can also be applied to other tourism places that are similar to Seville’s tourism offer, allowing useful comparisons and identification of critical points and ways to improve customer satisfaction continuously. Practical implications By establishing indices of expected and perceived quality and satisfaction and loyalty among tourists, tourism authorities and different economic agents involved in this sector can receive objective information about the results and quality of tourism services. Tourism managers, thus, can set objectives for improvements and competitiveness, as well as building and maintaining customer loyalty. At the same time, these indices allow comparisons with other organisations and places. By facilitating greater transparency in the measurement of quality and satisfaction, service providers connected to tourism can create a platform on which to articulate clearly their contributions to interested parties and local communities. Social implications These results constitute strategies and findings that any tourism place has to consider in the planning and development of its products. Therefore the model can help to encourage a long-term market perspective among tourism sector regulators, investors and agencies. With the information obtained with this model, areas needing improvement can be identified and the appropriate procedures can be put into practice to improve the tourism offer, adjusting it to meet travellers’ needs according to their motivations to travel to the destination. Residents also can benefit from these measures, as their quality of life will improve through upgrades of the city’s tourism facilities. Originality/value The unique contribution of the present study lies in how the indices or indicators of quality of, satisfaction with and loyalty to destinations among tourists are easily measured by applying structural equation modelling. A new approach to measure satisfaction, loyalty and quality is used based on a scale from 0 to 100, and the index results are very useful for comparing different tourist places.
Purpose - The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of restauranteurs’ perceptions about their customers’ satisfaction with the service provided in their establishment, focusing on two European cities - one British (Oxford) and another Spanish (Córdoba). The study also examines the potential relationship between this perceived satisfaction and factors external to the quality of the restaurant service. These include the customer’s motivation for visiting the city, his/her knowledge of the restaurant and the city, and the tourism authorities’ support for the city’s gastronomy and tourism. Methodology - The empirical research is based on the collection of primary information through a survey specifically designed to test the hypotheses formulated in the proposed theoretical model. The model used to check the proposed hypotheses was tested using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach Findings - After analysing the results, it can be observed that tourists’ motivation for choosing a destination and their prior knowledge about the city and its gastronomy positively influence their level of satisfaction. Significant differences also emerge in the comparative analysis of the two cities. For Oxford restaurateurs, the most important and significant variable influencing satisfaction is the motivation of tourists who visit the city, while Cordoba restaurateurs hold that satisfaction is positively influenced by all three of the external factors analysed, albeit to different degrees. The main one of these is the tourist’s knowledge about the gastronomy and the city, followed by the complementary offer and the official support for tourism and gastronomy, and last of all the tourist’s motivation, which is barely significant. Contribution - The results of this study are of interest to both academics and those working in the f ield of tourism management. The main practical implication of this work is the understanding it offers of restaurateurs’ perceptions, in two different European cultural cities, of factors external to the restaurant service which can affect their tourist customers’ satisfaction. It is not uncommon for these perceptions to be translated into demands made of the tourist authorities. Identifying such factors helps us to understand these demands, but also helps to explain the diversity of perceptions on which sectoral organizations in different European countries base their demands to the common European authorities. In this study, it can be surmised that cultural differences affect the needs perceived by restaurateurs.
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