A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Does satisfaction with package tours lead to successful vacation experiences?
Authors: Juulia Räikkönen, Antti Honkanen
Publisher: Elsevier
Publication year: 2013
Journal: Journal of Destination Marketing and Management
Journal acronym: JDMM
Volume: 2
Issue: 2
First page : 108
Last page: 117
eISSN: 2212-571X
DOI: https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2013.03.002.
Abstract
Tour operators play a key role in the creation of destination experiences by assembling and distributing package tourism products. This study examines how satisfaction with the components of a package tour affects the success of a vacation experience by analyzing customer satisfaction data (n=38,153) from the largest tour operator in Finland. A principal component analysis identified six dimensions of a package tour, of which a regression model indicated that tour operator's destination services and accommodation services were the key factors in explaining the success of the vacation experience. Pre-tour services and environmental issues were also essential, whereas flight and airport services were the least important. However, these six components explained only 34% of the variance in the success of an experience. Therefore, it is argued that satisfaction with tour operators’ services has only a limited impact on the success of a package tourism experience. This strengthens the idea that hybrid and complex tourism experiences are influenced by various factors and actors, many of which are irrespective of the tour operator.
Tour operators play a key role in the creation of destination experiences by assembling and distributing package tourism products. This study examines how satisfaction with the components of a package tour affects the success of a vacation experience by analyzing customer satisfaction data (n=38,153) from the largest tour operator in Finland. A principal component analysis identified six dimensions of a package tour, of which a regression model indicated that tour operator's destination services and accommodation services were the key factors in explaining the success of the vacation experience. Pre-tour services and environmental issues were also essential, whereas flight and airport services were the least important. However, these six components explained only 34% of the variance in the success of an experience. Therefore, it is argued that satisfaction with tour operators’ services has only a limited impact on the success of a package tourism experience. This strengthens the idea that hybrid and complex tourism experiences are influenced by various factors and actors, many of which are irrespective of the tour operator.
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