Investigation on the Relationship of Service Quality on Tourist Satisfaction and Loyalty: Case Study of Ardabil County
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Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism 2019, (4), 1: 1-14 ISSN: 2645-9078 OLD ISSN: 2548-0847 Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism 2019, Vol. 4, No. 1 pp:1-14 Investigation on the relationship Of service Quality On Tourist Satisfaction and Loyalty: Case Study of Ardabil County Robab Naghizadeh* ABSTRACT Keywords: The objective of this study is to investigate tourist᾿ satisfaction of the Ardabil County tourism KANO Model Service Quality using KANO model. In this case, Ardabil County was chosen as a destination Tourists᾿satisfaction (Ardabil County covers an area 3810 km2 in the north west of Iran). In order to assessment Service Quality of tourist satisfaction of the Ardabil County tourism Service Quality, using KANO model, Ardabil County Questionnaire as survey instrument, was used. The validity and reliability of the survey was based on content validity, and Cronbach᾿s Alpha value in SPSS Version 24. In total, 384 by Article History: sampling method were distributed among tourists in the summer. Evaluation of tourist᾿ Submitted:20.02.2019 satisfaction in KANO model also indicated the tourists from One Dimensional with Accepted:13.05.2019 satisfaction coefficient (0.731) are the most satisfaction. Also the least amount of tourists' satisfaction from Ardabil County tourism Services Quality is related to Basic needs with satisfaction coefficient (0.337). Moreover, the results signified the Ardabil County tourism Service Quality affect positively and significantly tourists᾿satisfaction. Furthermore, this study is presented the change in strategies investors, attendants and markers to planning for increasing the tourists satisfaction in the Ardabil County. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.31822/jomat.535199 1. Introduction (Vassiliadis, 2008). Consequently, the economic The travel and tourism industry today is the prominence (Cengiz, 2012) has fostered world’s largest and most diverse business sector. competitiveness among tourism destinations The importance of this industry directly results (Mendes et al., 2010).The business of tourism is from the fact that it serves as a primary source for complex and fragmented and since visitors arrive generating revenues, employment, private sector at the destination, until they leave, the quality of growth, and infrastructure development for many their experience is affected by many services and countries (Gee, 1999). Through these benefits, experiences, including a range of public and tourism development not only stimulates the private services, community interactions, growth of the industry, but also triggers overall environment, and hospitality. Therefore, economic growth (Lee & Chang, 2008).Tourism destinations have to deliver wonderful has a prominent role in the international economy experiences and excellent values to visitors (Cengiz, 2012) accounting for 11% of global gross (WTO, 2007) to make them loyal (Haque & Khan, domestic product (GDP) and employing 200 2013). million people (Okello & Yerian, 2009). In the context of globalization (Mendes et al., 2010), Customer satisfaction is a popular subject of tourism industry creates full and part-time jobs research in different sectors of the economy. Satisfaction may be defined as “a judgement that * Corresponding Author Research Paper M. A. Student in Geography and Tourism Planning, University of Tabriz, Iran, Email: [email protected], Orcid Id: 0000-0002- Robab Naghizadeh* 2425-4879 Jomat is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Derivable 4.0 International License. Robab Naghizadeh a product, or service feature, provides a The basic requirements of Ardabil tourism pleasurable level of consumption-related products have a direct and significant effect on fulfilment, including levels of the under or over the satisfaction of tourists. fulfilment of a product” (Oliver, 1997: 13). The performance requirements of tourism However, despite many attempts to explain products in Ardabil have a direct and Customer satisfaction, a homogeneous definition significant effect on the satisfaction of does not exist, and may be influenced by the tourists. specific characteristics of each economic sector. Motivational requirements of Ardabil Citys tourism products have a direct and significant Customer satisfaction in tourism has been effect on the satisfaction of tourists. described as the conformity between the Satisfaction with the future behavior of expectations of the tourist and the characteristics tourists has a direct and equitable effect. of the host destination (Truong & Foster, 2006: 843). Thus, customer satisfaction in tourism is 2. The Study area determined by both subjective (i.e. customer needs Iran is one of the most spectacular countries in the and emotions) and objective factors (i.e. product world. So that the country is one of the top 10 and service features), however, as in the definition countries in terms of attractions (cultural and of customer satisfaction, a complete set of civilization) tourism and one of the first five attributes that determines customer satisfaction in countries in the world in terms of diversity (natural tourism does not exist in the literature. The environment) tourism and is one of the first three analysis of customer satisfaction in tourism also countries in the world in terms of handicrafts reveals that the multi-dimensional construct of (Zangi Abadi et al, 2006:131). Iran has a great customer satisfaction is usually affected by other potential for tourism e.g. Iran is the eighteenth constructs (antecedents) and affects other largest country in the world in terms of area. It is constructs (consequences) ( Sánchez-Rebull et al, located in the southwestern Asia and covers the 2 2018:152).customer satisfaction is a land area of more than 1,648,000 km . Moreover, psychological state. It is a sense of pleasure after a review of 3167 tourist attractions found that Iran customers' needs are satisfied. It's a relative is rich in cultural and natural tourism resources; relationship between customers' expectations for many of which are unique to the world (Zeinali et products or services and the actual feelings after al, 2014: 68). tourism has become one of the they actually using products or sharing services important sectors of the global economy (Gao & Xue, 2016). If the number is used to accounting for 11% of global gross domestic measure the state of mind, this number is called product (GDP) and employing 200 million people customer satisfaction. Therefore, customer . In Iran, tourism is estimated to account for 5.6% satisfaction is the quantification of customer of the country’s total GDP, 5.1% of the country’s satisfaction level as well as the difference function total employments, 2.9% of the country’s total between perceived performance and expectations capital investments, and 2.8% of the country’s (or anticipation) (Wu, 2017:618). Given that a total exports (WTCC, 2013). comprehensive research on the impact of service Ardabil is located in a vast plain, 45 km long, on quality on the satisfaction of tourists in Iran has the slopes of Mount Sabalan. The weather in not been done, especially in the Ardabil province, Ardabil city is moderate and cool in the spring and the need for this research is felt very strongly. summer. The handicrafts and souvenirs also Therefore, the main objective of this research is to include Glim, Jajim, Shal, Varni, Masnad, Pottery, find the relationship of tourism service quality Wood Industries, Leather and Carpet Artifacts and with tourist’s satisfaction and loyalty to the its souvenirs are honey, black halva and local destination (Numanoğlu and Güçer, 2018) in sweets. Historic monuments and tourist attractions Ardabil city. In this regard, the hypotheses of the city include: the monument of Sheikh considered are as follows: Safiuddin Ardabili monument related to the Ilkhani-Safavi era, the Ardabil indoor arena with 2 Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Tourism 2019,4(1): 1-14 arched vaulted ceilings, Mirza Ali Akbar mosque future research and managerial practice in this related to the Qajar period, the Friday mosque area. Based on an extensive review of the literature belonging to the Saljoughi period on the hill on the Kano model and the relevant Historical Made, Shorabil Tourist Complex, Neur marketing/management literature, five approaches Sea Lake, 48 km south-east of Ardabil, warm (Kano's method; “penalty‐reward contrast water and Sardabeh waterfall, Shatar Gonbadi analysis”; “importance grid”; qualitative data Tower in Soma Village, Sheikh Gabriel Tomb, methods; and “direct classification”) are evaluated Sheikh Safiuddin Ardabili's father in Kalkhoran in terms of their validity and reliability for neighborhood of Ardabil (Cultural Heritage, categorising attributes in the Kano model. Several Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Ardabil illustrative examples provide empirical evidence Province, 2016). for the theoretical arguments advanced in the study.The Kano questionnaire and the direct‐ 3. Literature Review classification method are the only approaches that Bayraktaroğlu and Özgen, (2008), in a paper are capable of classifying Kano attributes in the "Integrating the Kano model, AHP and planning design stage of a product/service matrix: QFD application in library services, In this study, QFD is applied to central library services of Ponnam et al (2011), in a paper titled Satisfaction- Dokuz Eylul University (DEU) in Izmir, Turkey. based segmentation: Application of Kano model Basically, the methodology used in this study