Factors affecting overall satisfaction with a river recreation experience

Abstract

ABSTRACT/Visitor satisfaction has been a consistently stated goal of outdoor recreation management. Recreation resource managers provide opportunities for the visiting public with the anticipation of satisfying the needs of the visitors. Management efforts are often evaluated in terms of visitor satisfaction. In the recent decade, a multiple satisfactions approach has been the primary research paradigm guiding visitor satisfaction research. This paradigm has focused primarily upon behavioral-type dimensions such as crowding, goal attainment, and resource impacts resulting from behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of a setting dimension relative to behavioral-type dimensions for explaining differences in visitor satisfaction. A sample of 895 river visitors were sent a questionnaire in the mail; 682 were returned for a 76.2% response rate. Regression analysis indicated the setting dimension was ranked as one of the most important dimensions for explaining differences in visitor satisfaction. Other dimensions considered included group behavior, perceived crowding, parking, past experience, encounters, use levels, and time waiting. Implications for management are discussed.Recreation managers strive to provide quality opportunities for the visiting public (Manning 1986). Their efforts are often evaluated in terms of visiu)r satisfaction. But what is a satisfying recreation experience and how is it measured? What are the sources that contribute to overall visitor satisfaction? These concerns have been a major focus of recreation research over the past years (Williams 1988).As satisfaction research developed, researchers indicated that overall measures of satisfaction might be too broad and, therefore, an inadequate measure of visitor satisfaction (Heberlein and Shelby 1977, Schreyer and others 1984, Manning 1986. Other theories explaining satisfaction in a recreation experience have evolved that indicate overall visitor satisfaction may be a multidimensional concept consisting of multiple sources of satisfaction (Ditton and others 1981, Probst and Lime 1982, Vaske and others 1986, Hammitt and others 1990. Lee (1975) and Shelby (1980) have identified a number of variables that have been correlated with visitor satisfaction, including absence of litter and other poiludon, low level of facility development, pleasant social demeanor of others, and good physical condition of the trail. Ditton and others (1981), who examined satisfaction of river users at Buffalo National River, indicated that although visitor reports on satisfaction tended to be KEY WORDS: Visitor satisfaction; River management; Visitor quality *Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.high, researchers should examine the "mechanisms" producing the various dimensions of visitor satisfaction. Schreyer and others (1984) found differences in responses from river users on questions concerning more specific aspects of'visitor satisfaction, while general measures of satisfaction received uniformly high ratings. Vaske and ...

Effects of recreational use impacts on hiking experiences in natural areas

“…These findings are supported by Herrick and McDonald (1992) who suggested that visitors use setting attributes to evaluate their overall satisfaction. The importance of the experience dimensions to overall satisfaction emphasizes the fact that visitors specifically seek experiences relating to artifactualism, naturalness, remoteness and solitude when hiking in natural areas.…”

“…goal attainment) and setting attributes (e.g. facility development and resource impacts) (Herrick and McDonald, 1992). Understanding recreational satisfaction can help managers and planners to understand the types of opportunities visitors are seeking, and to develop services that help enhance those desired experiences (Buchanan, 1983).…”

An Important Relationship between Tourism and Hospitality: A Questionnaire Based Survey on Local People, Kolkata, India

“…It was known that guest satisfaction can be proper when the performance of various attributes due to a product or service [3]. Choi [4] states that overall customer satisfaction consists of multiple dimension of a product or service in various hospitality areas including tourism [5]- [7]. In India, from recent era, tourism and hospitality industry provides employment generation in local people as well as revenue generation through foreign exchange [8].…”

Bear viewing in the K'tzim-a-deen inlet: Effects on grizzly bear behaviour and visitor perceptions of impact.

“…Situational variables involve specific attributes of a recreational setting/activity; these include the absence of litter and other pollution, level of facility development, pleasant social demeanour of others, and good physical condition of the site. Subjective variables include perceptions of crowding, the extent to which participation goals were fulfilled, and perceptions of impact (Herrick & McDonald, 1992). Subjective variables may have more direct and powerful influences on overall 34 satisfaction with non-consumptive recreation activities, but are strongly correlated to situational variables (Whisman & Hollenhorst, 1998 (Latu & Everett, 2000).…”

“…Although some researchers measure total satisfaction by asking visitors to provide an overall rating of experience quality (Stewart & Cole, 1999), this is sometimes viewed as an inadequate measure due to its extremely broad nature (Manning, 1999;Herrick & McDonald, 1992;Latu & Everett, 2000). Approaching satisfaction associated with the recreation experience as a function of all-encompassing multiple and independent aspects can be more accurate (Herrick & McDonald, 1992;Latu & Everett, 2000;Orams 2000;Whisman & Hollenhorst, 1998). This can be done through the use of multiple-item scales that measure satisfaction with specific aspects of the recreation experience (Manning, 1999).…”