Fisun Yüksel

Measurement of tourist satisfaction with restaurant services: A segment-based approach

It is widely recognised that the tourist market is not homogeneous. Yet segment-specific satisfaction analysis has received inadequate attention both from researchers and managers. Focusing on tourists’ dining experiences, this study investigated whether tourists could be grouped into distinct segments; whether the composition of variables determining customer satisfaction differed among the identified segments; and whether market segmentation strategy could contribute to more parsimonious satisfaction prediction models. Factor analysis was performed to determine dimensions that are likely to influence tourist restaurant selection and evaluations, whereas cluster analysis was employed to identify homogeneous groups of respondents. Multiple regression analyses were then employed to examine the relative importance of service dimensions in determining satisfaction judgments of each segment. Based on the analyses, five distinct dining segments were identified. Different sets of service dimensions appeared to affect satisfaction judgments. Greater variation in satisfaction was explained when analysis was undertaken at market segment level compared to aggregate market level. Management and marketing implications of the study are discussed.

Stakeholder interviews and tourism planning at Pamukkale, Turkey.

Abstract This study examines the use of interviews to identify stakeholders’ views on the implementation of proposals contained in a tourism and conservation plan. The authors conducted interviews with stakeholders representing interests affected by the implementation of the Preservation and Development Plan for Pamukkale, a World Heritage Site in Turkey. The site contains dramatic travertine terraces and also ancient city ruins, with both threatened by tourism. Analysis of the interviews identified broad social representations and more specific views concerning the planning issues. Consideration is given to the value of stakeholder interviews for a continuous planning process, including for monitoring views on tourism and conservation issues, plan proposals and on progress in plan implementation. The findings could be of considerable help to Pamukkale’s planning authorities, although such stakeholder views may be ignored in the institutional context of Turkey’s centralised planning system.

The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm: A Critique

Accurate measurement of customer satisfaction is a prerequisite for developing effective management strategies. Only with reliable customer feedback, gathered through an adequate and appropriate assessment framework, can managers be in possession of facts that will allow them to implement satisfaction improvement programs. The Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm (EDP) has become the dominant framework employed in the assessment of customer satisfaction with hospitality and tourism services. However, despite its dominance, there remain a number of unresolved issues concerning this model. Given the lack of attention to its limitations, this article reviews a number of conceptual and operational issues relating to the EDP and questions its reliability in assessing customer satisfaction with tourism and hospitality services. Suggestions for future research are also provided.

Market Segmentation Based on Tourists’ Dining Preferences:

Managerial benefits of market segmentation have been justified; however, incorporation of this concept into restaurant management philosophy is limited, particularly in tourist resorts. A factor analytic approach undertaken in this article revealed that there were different tourist dining segments, developing their restaurant selection decisions based on different aspects of restaurant services, which requires segment-specific marketing and management strategies. The analysis identified five distinct tourist dining segments that take different sets of elements into account when making their restaurant selection decision. Marketing implications of the study findings are discussed.

Comparative performance analysis: Tourists’ perceptions of Turkey relative to other tourist destinations

As a result of ever-intensifying competition, destination managers are increasingly in need of comparative information in order to identify their relative product strengths and weaknesses, a critical step in formulating appropriate competitive actions. It is highly likely that tourism destinations failing to pay attention to the performance delivered by their competitors, not knowing their own potential shortcomings in service delivery, and overlooking the improvement of tourist experience and satisfaction stand to lose their market share. Focusing on Turkish tourism, this study aimed to provide destination managers with exploratory insights into what tourists regarded as the components of a satisfying holiday experience and how tourists perceived the destination performance relative to other destinations. A modified experience-based framework was adopted in order to understand tourists’ perceptions of the destination relative to other destinations, and whether experiences with other destinations affected their present holiday evaluation. The study found that tourists might judge the destination’s performance on a set of attributes, some being more tangible, and some being relatively more important. The relation found between tourists’ perceptions of other destinations and their evaluation of the current holiday suggests that what other destinations have to offer might affect tourists’ current satisfaction judgments and their future behavioural intentions. Managerial implications of the study are discussed.

Ministers’ statements: a policy implementation instrument for sustainable tourism?

Consistent communication of tourism policies by tourism ministers might raise public and industry awareness and promote support for sustainable tourism. The statements made by ministers contain messages that can inform the public and industry stakeholders, and potentially, these statements can draw attention to sensitive issues and bring about changes in practices that encourage sustainability in the tourism industry. Analyzing the statements of the five most recent tourism ministers in Turkey, delivered between 2001 and 2009, this study identifies the ministers’ priorities for tourism and compares them with the tourism policy objectives set out in Turkeys Tourism Strategic Action Plan. Further comparison is undertaken to see whether priorities changed within and between governments. The results of the content analysis indicate that the statements of the Turkish tourism ministers were economically driven and growth-oriented, and that there were inconsistencies between the ministers’ priorities and the corresponding policy objectives in the national tourism strategy. While the period between 2001 and 2009 saw changing governments and ministers, the different ministers emphasized an almost identical set of priorities. Implications are discussed for public awareness of tourism policies and for sustainable tourism.

The Streetscape: Effects on Shopping Tourists’ Product/Service Quality Inferences and Their Approach Behaviors

When tourists enter a shopping district, they usually do not possess complete information about merchandise or service quality. Judgments and choices, are therefore, based on inferences made from multiple sources of information, including the product and service quality cues available in the external environment. While exterior environment is one critical attribute by which tourists judge the quality of the total service process, only a few studies have examined exterior environment from the perspective of the informational value that it offers to consumers. The results of the structural equation modeling in this study revealed that exterior shopping environment could act as a surrogate of service and merchandise quality. Tourists’ patronage intentions were strongly influenced by service quality inferences as compared with inferences about merchandise quality. Implications for retailers at tourist destinations are discussed.

Customers’ Assessment of Destination Advertisements with Incomplete Information Interactions among Inferences, Attitudes, and Purchase Intentions

Potential visitors are often required to make judgments about destinations on the basis of limited or incomplete information. Since decision-making rules may change when information is missing, it is instrumental to understand how potential visitors respond to incomplete information. The present research explores how marketing communication containing incomplete information (in)directly affects consumers’ inferences, attitudes, and purchase intentions. The results have shown that when information is limited, consumers are unlikely to develop strong attitudes that will guide their purchase intentions. However, when exposed to the incomplete information, the involved consumers are likely to infer service quality by complementing the incompleteness with their own input, and hence they are likely to develop favorable intent toward the destination. Implications for destination advertising are discussed.