Building Customer Trust and Relationship Commitment to a Nature-Based Tourism Provider: The Role of Information Investments

Abstract

With the increased competitiveness of the travel and tourism industry, many providers have become interested in securing long-term committed relationships with their most profitable customers. The customers, however, perceive that travel and tourism products carry a significant degree of uncertainty and risk and are therefore unwilling to commit to providers whom they do not trust. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to examine the role of information investments made between a nature-based tourism provider and its customers in the development of customer trust and the role of trust in making customers resistant to switching providers. The findings support Agency Theory and Commitment-Trust Theory and suggest that if providers establish good communication with their customers, they tend to develop trust and commitment towards the providers. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1

Brand Attachment, Tour Leader Attachment, and Behavioral Intentions of Tourists

“…The results showed that a high level of customer trust is associated with a strong effect of brand attachment and tour leader attachment on perceived value. The researchers extend extant research (e.g., Kim et al, 2013;Moliner et al, 2007;Setó-Pamies, 2012;Zillifro & Morais, 2004) by emphasizing the crucial contingent role of customer trust in the attachment-perceived value relationship.…”

“…Reichheld and Schefter (2000) asserted that “to gain the loyalty of customers, you must first gain their trust.” In the tourism context, customer trust is of vital because customers experience a degree of perceived emotional, physical, and social risk (Law, 2006; Yüksel & Yüksel, 2007). The intangibility and lack of transparency of services in service businesses such as the travel industry tend to result in information asymmetry and opportunistic behavior (Zillifro & Morais, 2004). Therefore, customer trust is crucial for travel managers to develop relationships with customers.…”

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