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Reflections on tourist satisfaction research: Past, present and future

School of Business, Wheatley Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX33 1HX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)1865 485908; Fax: + 44 (0)1865 485830; dbowen{at}brookes.ac.uk

Jackie Clarke

School of Business, Wheatley Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX33 1 HX, UK Tel: + 44 (0)1865 485908; Fax: + 44 (0)1865 485830

An overview is provided of some key considerations in the now considerable literature that exists on consumer and tourist satisfaction. Special emphasis is placed on the distinctiveness or otherwise of the three concepts of satisfaction, quality and value; the supposed components of satisfaction and related theoretical paradigms; the particular characteristics of tourism that provide the context for the development of satisfaction; and, finally, the felt need for innovation with regard to research methodologies and new research methods. The overall objective is to raise issues and to indicate answers — or at least provide some signposts — that will be of use to practitioners and academics alike as they seek better to understand tourist satisfaction.

Key Words: satisfaction • research methodology

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