Service quality and customer satisfaction in thermal tourism

Cecilia Silvestri · Barbara Aquilani · Alessandro Ruggieri

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Customer Service Quality and Loyalty Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research Global Healthcare and Medical Tourism

Abstract

Purpose Satisfaction in the tourism sector is a highly sensitive subject, and customer satisfaction (CS) has a significant impact on the choice of destinations made by tourists and on the decision to recommend them to friends or acquaintances. The purpose of this paper is to give empirical evidence of the dimensions of service quality (technical, functional and company image (CI)) and their connections in the sector of thermal tourism. It also aims at investigating the CI, seeking to understand whether some of the technical and functional service quality variables play a role in determining it. Design/methodology/approach An empirical survey was conducted by administering a structured research questionnaire in order to collect all necessary data, which was then elaborated to test the hypotheses using factor and multiple regression analyses. Findings The results of the survey confirm the direct impact of service quality dimensions (technical, functional and CI) on CS also in the thermal sector when considered individually. Moreover, when the CI was analyzed further, relational quality was found to be dependent on thermal employees’ capabilities, abilities, trustworthiness, availability, etc. Finally, when considered together, functional service quality and CI have a stronger effect on CS than technical service quality. Originality/value The originality of the present research relies on the following: a further contribution to the so-called “European perspective” of service quality; the study of service quality dimensions (technical, functional and CI) in the thermal sector; and evidencing the link between thermal employee characteristics and the relational quality factor of the CI, demonstrating that many aspects of this construct need further empirical investigation, in the wellness sector.

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References

1988SERVQUAL: A multiple-Item Scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality 1974An Index of Factorial Simplicity 1993Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity 1980A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction Decisions 1966The Scree Test For The Number Of Factors 1996The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality 1958The Varimax Criterion for Analytic Rotation in Factor Analysis 1992Servicescapes: The Impact of Physical Surroundings on Customers and Employees

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