SATISFACTION OF TOURISTS IN SERBIA, DESTINATION IMAGE, LOYALTY AND DMO SERVICE QUALITY

Author: Mr. Ivan Paunović, MBA, M.Sc

Doctoral studies student, Singidunum University, Belgrade, Serbia

Email: paun.bg@gmail.com

Skype: paun.bg

Mobile phone: +381 63 64 64 48

INTRODUCTION• DMO’s and other decision-

makers in tourism need simple, usable quantitative benchmarking models

• Cooper emphasizes that macro and micro environments are in a constant state of change and evolution, which makes important for decision makers to recognize the magnitude of the events shaping the future

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• RQ1: What are the principal components of tourist satisfaction in Serbia?

• RQ2: What is the mutual relation between service quality, tourist satisfaction, destination (brand) loyalty and destination (brand) image?

• RQ3: What are the essential elements of the service quality, destination (brand) loyalty, and destination (brand) image?

TOURIST SATISFACTION COMPONENTS-PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

 

 Component

1 2 3 4

Nature .768 -.095 -.083 .626

Culture -.723 .521 .268 .358

History -.536 .495 .643 .127

SafetySecurity .917 .032 .207 -.188

Food .185 .686 -.663 -.222

Accomodation .283 .630 -.709 .059

Nightlife -.429 .795 .285 -.319

ProfessionalismOfServi

ce

.737 .502 .287 -.348

CustomerOrientation .564 .759 .294 -.006

HospitalityOfPopulatio

n

.796 .570 .146 -.020

Cleanliness .949 -.047 .298 .050

Transportation .861 .298 .020 .408

Attractions -.715 .641 .050 .258

VarietyOfOffers -.323 .879 -.310 .103

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.

a. 4 components extracted.

 

THE RELATION BETWEEN TOURIST SATISFACTION, DESTINATION LOYALTY,

IMAGE AND DMO SERVICE QUALITY

• There are many factors that influence the totality of the tourist experience, and satisfaction is only one of the tools to measure it, while other important tools are destination image, destination loyalty and service quality

Destination (Brand) Image

Destination(Brand) Loyalty

Tourist Satisfaction

DMO Service Quality

REASONS FOR VISITING SERBIA AS A TOURIST DESTINATION

Good p

ast e

xperi

ence

s

Relativ

es/fr

iends

in S

erbia

Hospi

tality

Atmos

phere

Good a

cces

sibili

ty/p

roxi

mity

Traditi

on/h

istor

y

Imag

e of t

he re

gion

Attrac

tions

Safety

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

DESTINATION (BRAND) LOYALTY COMPONENTS

• Strong national destination brands support the private companies in tourism-they act as umbrella brands

• Dolnicar found strong evidence that one of the main drivers of airline carrier loyalty is the fact that it is the national carrier

Destination (brand) loyalty

•Place dependence•Place identity•Behavioral intention•Uniqueness of the destination•Authenticity

DESTINATION (BRAND) IMAGE

• The WTTC forecasts that attractive brand image will be crucial for Serbia to succeed in tourism in the short- and medium-term.

Destination (brand) Image

•Old-fashioned/ dusty vs. Aesthetically attractive

•Boring vs. Inspiring•Relaxing vs. Stressful•Hospitable vs. Unfriendly•Family friendly vs. Alternative•Authentic/ original/real vs. fake•Overrun vs. Enjoyable•Convivial vs. cold•Easygoing/ unconventional vs. Elitist•Conservative vs. innovative•Reserved vs. Outgoing•Cultivated vs. ignorant•Safe vs. dangerous•Romantic vs. down-to earth•Environmentally aware vs. unsustainable

•Chick/Happening vs. outdated•Exclusive vs. value for money•Cosmopolitan vs. provincial•Harmonious vs. distorted•Lively vs. quiet

PUBLIC INSTITUTION SERVICE QUALITY COMPONENTS PROPOSED BY COMMON

ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK• The principal

component analysis demonstrated that professionalism of service (or service quality) has very strong influence on the tourism satisfaction

ADDITIONAL DMO SERVICE QUALITY COMPONENTS

Additional DMO Service quality components

•Social responsibility and environmental sustainability results•Key performance results: degree of market internationalization (domestic international, global), DMO budget/overnights ratio, percentage of budget used for promotional activities,•Use of social media•Crisis Management System

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Tourist satisfaction has cognitive and emotional aspects which cannot be easily measured. As evidenced in the tourism literature and our primary research, the essential part of the tourist satisfaction is always satisfaction with the human contact, and the perception of the people on the destination. Those components are: safety, hospitality, and professionalism.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Tourist satisfaction, although one of the most important benchmarks for destination competitiveness, should not be considered without consideration of other related marketing tools such as destination loyalty, destination image and service quality.

Destination (Brand) Image

Destination(Brand) Loyalty

Tourist Satisfaction

DMO Service Quality

QUESTIONS?

•Thank you for your attention