Spyridon Mamalis

Segmenting Customers based on Perceived Importance of Wellness Facilities

Abstract The increased consumers’ shift towards a healthier lifestyle resulted also in a change towards a natural way of healing and curing diseases and disorders. Therefore, the health and wellness industry grew rapidly all over the world, making it a dynamic tourism market in a countrys economy. Under this context, this study aims in segmenting customers of the thermal spring baths of Pozar Aridaia, Greece, based on perceived importance of the wellness facilities. Field research was actualized on the premises of the thermal springs, employing a questionnaire designed specifically for this purpose and based on the results of qualitative research and previous literature review. Sixteen wellness facilities were rated on a five point scale by 263 customers. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, reliability, and factor and cluster analysis. Three factors derived based on visitors’ perceptions accounting for 76.4% of the total variance. Cluster analysis exported three clusters: the customers with high demands, the ones with moderate demands and the mostly indifferent in demands customers. The results of this research are considered necessary for the thermal spring/spa of Pozar in order to satisfy its customers and maintain its market share.

Tourism and Ecologically Sensitive Areas: The Case the Prefecture of Preveza from Citizens’ Point of View

The immeasurable value and necessity of protecting and promoting the natural wealth that distinguishes a geographical unit demand the adoption and implementation of a multifaceted strategy, aiming to preserve and manage an ecologically sensitive area systematically and, by extension, to ensure the viable development of tourism. All this must be accepted by the citizens in order for changes to occur without people’s complaint and protests. Under this assumption, the objective of this paper is to investigate the attitudes and beliefs of residents regarding ecotourism development in the Preveza prefecture, an area mainly characterized as Natura and Ramsar protected. It also reflects the citizens’ beliefs regarding the possibility of developing modern forms of tourism activities near or within the environmentally sensitive area, in the light of a viable-sustainable development in the prefecture. In order for this to be accomplished, field research with the means of a questionnaire, developed especially for this reason, was undertaken. Sample involved 150 permanent residents of the Preveza prefecture from all three municipalities (Zirou, Parga, and Preveza) via mall-intercept personal interview. Thus, residents rated their point of agreement for tourism exploitation of nine nature-related attraction sites and seven modern forms of tourism activities within these nature attractions sites. Residents consider that alternative tourism (92.0%) and not mass tourism is indicated for the area and specifically in the form of ecotourism (94.5%) for sustainable development (86.4%) of the region. Regarding the nature-related point of interests which could be potential tourist attractions, locals consider all sites as potential tourist attractions, but the ones with the highest rate are Acheron river (delta) Alonaki Beach- Nekromanteion (necromancy, 93.9%) and the straits of Acheron river-Trikastro-Skala Tzavelena (91.7%). As to modern types of tourism, they rated biking and hiking-trekking as the best for the region (89.5%). Moreover, they consider that the responsible bodies for tourism development of Preveza, which should keep nature protected and unspoiled, are mainly the local authorities and operators (59.4%). The expected benefits of recording citizens’ opinions and beliefs aim at rational regional planning and are very important. Results are discussed, and recommendations for implementation are provided.

Tourist’s Behaviour Towards Local Cretan Food

Gastronomic tourism is becoming an important part of the tourism industry. However, there are very few studies on food tourists’ behaviour comparing with those about tourists’ behaviour in general. The current study provides an analysis of tourists’ behaviour based on the perceived value (PV) and the satisfaction (ST) to predict the intention to revisit (IN) using the Modified Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). The purpose of this study is to unveil the relation between perceived value and intention to revisit (H1), Perceived Value and satisfaction (H2) and satisfaction and intention to revisit (H3) using confirmatory factor analysis as a statistical tool. Results showed that the hypotheses H1, H2 and H3 were significant (p < 0.01) and supported. H3 (β = 0.35) shows that satisfaction is an antecedent to the intention to revisit. The same is true for H1 (β = 0.19) and H2 (β = 0.45) which is proof that perceived value can predict intention to revisit and satisfaction respectively. The contribution of this study is intended to provide empirical results using the modified theory of reasoned action to predict tourists’ behaviour toward Cretan local food which proved that local food can influence the intention to revisit. The implications will be useful for tourism managers, decision makers and destination marketing organizations in Crete and Greece.