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Journal of Vacation Marketing
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Tourist satisfaction: A view from a mixed international guided package tour

David Bowie

Department of Hospitality, Leisureand Tourism Management, Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK E-mail: decbowie@brookes.ac.uk

Jui Chi Chang

Tourism Department at Providence University in Taiwan

This paper seeks to identify the variables that are related to customer satisfaction during a guided package tour service encounter, including the role of the tour leader and the service performance by suppliers – itinerary arrangements, auxiliary support and service delivery. Data were gathered through participant observation during a mixed-nationality tour of Scandinavian destinations. Expectations, customer on-tour attitude and behaviour and equity were identified as affecting customer satisfaction during the service encounter. Additionally, the consumption experience of hedonism and enjoyment (excitement factors) on the tour had a significant effect on customer satisfaction. Two primary sources of complaints were identified: first, the tour operator's itinerary planning and hotel selection (basic factors), and second, the tour leader's competence (performance factor). The findings indicate that the tour leader is a significant determinant psychologically, spiritually and practically in influencing the success of the tour product. The result contributes to a better knowledge for the tour operator of tourism satisfaction in the international market for guided package tours.

Key Words: customer satisfaction • expectation • equity • hedonism • package tour • tour leader • tour operator

Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 11, No. 4, 303-322 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1356766705056628
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