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Measuring the Quality of Ecotourism Services

Author

Listed:
  • Nor’Aini Yusof
  • Faiz Abd Rahman
  • Mohd Fitri Che Jamil
  • Mohammad Iranmanesh

Abstract

Ecotourism forms the pillar of the country’s tourism industry. Ecotourists make up more than 10% of international tourists in Malaysia. When service quality is thought of as an important factor to the success of tourism service providers, the importance of estimating service quality provided to tourists becomes apparent. Estimating service quality provides tourism service providers with the necessary information needed to manage their marketing operations appropriately. Therefore, this estimation should be performed with the right measurement scales. Despite the high volume of research on service quality (SERVQUAL) models in recent years, limited effort has been directed toward improving the tool for measuring service quality, particularly to apply to the ecotourism sector in developing countries. This article aims to improve a SERVQUAL model that is suitable for ecotourism areas in developing countries using five dimensions of the original model and one additional sustainability dimension. Based on a survey of 127 tourists in Tasik Kenyir, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to discover the underlying dimension of ecotourism services and test for reliability and validity. Using EFA resulted in seven factors totaling 27 items. These factors are labeled as follows: tangible sustainability, sustainable practices, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The results reveal that when SERVQUAL is applied within the ecotourism context, new dimensions of tangible sustainability and sustainable practices may emerge. The result implies the need to refine the SERVQUAL model when used in different contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Nor’Aini Yusof & Faiz Abd Rahman & Mohd Fitri Che Jamil & Mohammad Iranmanesh, 2014. "Measuring the Quality of Ecotourism Services," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:4:y:2014:i:2:p:2158244014538270
    DOI: 10.1177/2158244014538270
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zhao, Y. Lisa & Di Benedetto, C. Anthony, 2013. "Designing service quality to survive: Empirical evidence from Chinese new ventures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1098-1107.
    2. Snipes, Robin L. & Oswald, Sharon L. & LaTour, Michael & Armenakis, Achilles A., 2005. "The effects of specific job satisfaction facets on customer perceptions of service quality: an employee-level analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(10), pages 1330-1339, October.
    3. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    4. Mohamed, Ghada Abd-Alla, 2006. "Service Quality of Travel Agents: The Viewpoint of Tourists in Egypt," MPRA Paper 25388, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 28 Jan 2007.
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    Cited by:

    1. Michele Preziosi & Alessia Acampora & Maria Claudia Lucchetti & Roberto Merli, 2022. "Delighting Hotel Guests with Sustainability: Revamping Importance-Performance Analysis in the Light of the Three-Factor Theory of Customer Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    2. Jakaria Dasan & Fatimah Ahmedy & Shamezah Shamsul & Elia Godoong & Coswald Stephen Sipaut & Mohammad Saffree Jeffree, 2022. "Post-COVID-19 Challenges for a Sustainable Community-Based Ecotourism: A Case Study of Rural Community in Sabah, North of Borneo," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(4), pages 21582440221, December.
    3. Huseyin Arasli & Mehmet Bahri Saydam & Hasan Kilic, 2020. "Cruise Travelers’ Service Perceptions: A Critical Content Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-13, August.
    4. Khyati Shetty Datta & Julie Vardhan, 2017. "A SERVQUAL-Based Framework for Assessing Quality of International Branch Campuses in UAE," SAGE Open, , vol. 7(1), pages 21582440166, February.

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