It is widely recognised that the tourist market is not homogeneous. Yet
segment-specific satisfaction analysis has received inadequate attention both
from researchers and managers. Focusing on tourists’ dining
experiences, this study investigated whether tourists could be grouped into
distinct segments; whether the composition of variables determining customer
satisfaction differed among the identified segments; and whether market
segmentation strategy could contribute to more parsimonious satisfaction
prediction models. Factor analysis was performed to determine dimensions that
are likely to influence tourist restaurant selection and evaluations, whereas
cluster analysis was employed to identify homogeneous groups of respondents.
Multiple regression analyses were then employed to examine the relative
importance of service dimensions in determining satisfaction judgments of each
segment. Based on the analyses, five distinct dining segments were identified.
Different sets of service dimensions appeared to affect satisfaction judgments.
Greater variation in satisfaction was explained when analysis was undertaken at
market segment level compared to aggregate market level. Management and
marketing implications of the study are discussed.
Henning-Thurau, T.
and
Klee, A.
(1997)
‘The impact of customer satisfaction and relationship quality on
customer retention: A critical reassessment and model development’
, Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 14, No.
8, pp.
737-764
.
2.
Pizam, A.
and
Ellis, T.
(1999)
‘Customer satisfaction and its measurement in hospitality enterprises’
, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,
Vol. 11, No. 7, pp.
326-339
.
3.
Ibid.
4.
Crompton, J. L.
and
Love, L. L.
(1995)
‘The predictive validity of alternative approaches to evaluating
quality of a festival’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 34, No.
1, pp
11-25
.
5.
Yüksel, A.
and
Rimmington, M.
(1998)
‘Customer satisfaction measurement: Performance counts’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
39, No. 6, pp.
60-70
.
6.
Yüksel, A.
and
Yüksel, F.
(2001)
‘The expectancy disconfirmation paradigm: A critique’
, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research, Vol.
25, No. 2, pp.
107-131
.
7.
Gardial, S. F.
,
Clemons, D. S.
,
Woodruff, R. B.
,
Schuman, W. D.
and
Burns, M. J.
(1994)
‘Comparing consumer’s recall of pre-purchase and
post-purchase product evaluation experiences’
, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 20, pp.
548-560
.
8.
Oh, H.
and
Parks, C. S.
(1997)
‘Customer satisfaction and service quality: A critical review of
the literature and research implications for the hospitality industry’
, Hospitality Research Journal, Vol. 20, No.
3, pp.
36-64
.
9.
Pizam, A.
and
Milman, A.
(1993)
‘Predicting satisfaction among first-time visitors to a
destination by using the expectancy disconfirmation theory’
, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol.
12, pp.
197-209
.
10.
Oh, M.
and
Mount, J. D.
(1998)
‘Assessments of lodging service unit performance for repeat business’
, Journal of International Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism
Management, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp.
37-54
.
11.
Oh and Jeong, ibid.; Yüksel, ibid.
12.
Gitelson, R. J.
and
Crompton, J. L.
(1984)
‘Insights into repeat vacation phenomenon’
, Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 11, pp.
199-217
.
13.
Oh and Jeong, ref. 10 above.
14.
Muller, C.
(1999)
‘A simple measurement of restaurant efficiency’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
40, No. 3, pp.
31-37
.
15.
Stevens, P.
,
Knutson, B.
and
Patton, M.
(1995)
‘Dineserv: A tool for measuring service quality in restaurants’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
36, No. 2, April, pp.
56-60
.
16.
Gronroos, C.
(1984)
‘A service quality model and its marketing implications’
, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 18, pp.
36-44
.
17.
Bitner, M. J.
(1990)
‘Evaluating service encounters: The effect of physical
surrounding and employee responses’
, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 54, pp.
69-82
.
18.
Gronroos (1990), ref. 16 above.
19.
Jones, P.
and
Jones, A. P.
(1990)
‘Stress: are you serving it up to your restaurant patrons’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
31, No. 4, pp.
38-43
.
20.
Baker, J.
and
Cameron, M.
(1996)
‘The effects of the service environment on affect and consumer
perception of waiting time: An integrative review and research propositions’
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24, No. 4, pp.
338-349
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21.
Bitner, ref. 17 above.
22.
Ibid.
23.
Ibid.; Wakefield and Blodgett, ref. 20 above.
24.
Mehrabian and Russell, ref. 20 above.
25.
Fitzsimmons, J. A.
and
Maurer, G. B
(1991)
‘A walk through audit to improve restaurant performance’
, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, Vol.
31, No. 4, pp.
94-99
.
26.
Dawes and Rowley, ibid.
27.
Hui and Tse, ref. 25 above.
28.
Dawes and Rowley, ref. 25 above.
29.
Jones and Jones, ref. 19 above.
30.
Zeithaml, V. A.
(1988)
‘Consumer perceptions of price, quality and value: A means-end
model and synthesis of evidence’
, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 52, pp.
2-22
.
31.
Ibid.
32.
Reisinger, Y.
and
Turner, L.
(2000)
‘Japanese tourism satisfaction: Gold Coast versus Hawaii’
, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol. 6, No.
4, pp.
299-317
.
33.
Oh and Mount, ref. 10 above.
34.
Kotler, P.
,
Bowen, J.
and
Makens, J.
(1996) ‘Marketing for Hospitality and
Tourism’,
Prentice-Hall, New Jersey
.
35.
Dibb, S.
(1998)
‘Market segmentation: Strategies for success’
, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 16, No.
7, pp.
394-406
.
36.
Kara, A.
,
Kaynak, E.
and
Kucukemiroglu, O.
(1997)
‘Marketing strategies for fast-food restaurants: A customer view’
, British Food Journal, Vol. 99, No. 9,
pp.
318-324
.
37.
Diaz-Martin, M. A.
,
Iglesias, V.
,
Vazquez, R.
and
Ruiz, V. A.
(2000)
‘The use of quality expectations to segment a service market’
, Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 14, No.
2, pp.
132-146
.
38.
Reid, D. R.
(1983) ‘Foodservice Restaurant
Marketing’,
CBI Publications, London
.
39.
Loker, E. L
and
Perdue, R. R.
(1992)
‘A benefit-based segmentation of a non-resident summer travel market’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 31, No.
1, pp.
30-35
.
40.
Woo, K.
(1998)
‘Using quality perceptions to segment customers in services’
, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 16, No.
7, pp.
418-424
.
41.
Loker and Perdue, ref. 39 above.
42.
Shoemaker, S.
(1998)
‘A strategic approach to segmentation in university foodservice’
, Journal of Restaurant and Foodservice Marketing, Vol.
3, No. 1, pp.
3-35
.
43.
Oh and Jeong, ref. 10 above.
44.
Lowenstein, M. V.
(1995) ‘Customer Retention: An Integrated Process
for Keeping Your Best Customer’,
ASQC Quality Press, Milwaukee, WI
.
45.
Maddox, N. R.
(1985)
‘Measuring satisfaction with tourism’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 23, No.
3, pp.
2-5
.
46.
Clow, E. K.
,
Kurtz, L. D.
and
Ozment, J.
(1996)
‘Managing customer expectations of restaurants: An empirical study’
, Journal of Restaurant and Foodservice Marketing, Vol.
1, Nos 3/4, pp.
135-159
.
47.
Oh and Jeong, ref. 10 above.
48.
Punj, G.
and
Stewart, W. D.
(1983)
‘Cluster analysis in marketing research: Review and suggestions
for application’
, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 20, pp.
134-148
.
49.
Norusis, J. M.
(1994) ‘SPSS Professional Statistics
6.1’,
SPSS Inc., USA
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50.
Ahmed et al., ref. 37 above.
51.
Singh, ibid.
52.
Hair, J. F.
,
Anderson, R.
and
Black, W. C.
(1995) ‘Multivariate Data Analysis with
Readings’,
Prentice-Hall, New Jersey
.
53.
Alzua, A.
,
O’Leary, T. J.
and
Morrison, M. A.
(1998)
‘Cultural and heritage tourism, identifying niches for
international travellers’
, Journal of Tourism Studies, Vol. 9, No.
2, pp.
2-13
.
54.
Aldenderfer, M. S.
and
Blashfield, K. R.
(1984) ‘Cluster Analysis Series: Quantitative
Application in the Social Sciences’,
Sage Publications, London
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55.
Norusis, ref. 49 above.
56.
Weaver, A. P.
,
McCleary, W. K.
and
Jinlin, Z.
(1994) ‘Segmenting the business traveller
market’, in
Harsell, J. V.
(ed.) ‘Tourism and Exploration’,
Prentice-Hall International, New Jersey
, pp. 137-147.
57.
Woo, ref. 40 above.
58.
Madrigal, R.
and
Kahle, L. R.
(1994)
‘Predicting vacation activity preferences on the basis of
value-system segmentation’
, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 32, pp.
22-28
.
