Psychographic segmentation is popular within the tourism literature. It is useful in describing a prototypical customer, however psychological attributes are hard to detect at the individual level and by front-line staff. This paper tests the viability of prior visits (first-time vs. repeat visits) as a segmentation strategy, given this information is readily available to tourism operators. We test an interaction effect between prior visits, service quality, and perceived value using the ECOSERV model, a well-established model of ecotourism customer satisfaction. Using a sample of ecolodge guests, we demonstrate that a prior visit attenuates the relationship between perceived value and customer satisfaction. Among repeat guests, perceived value has less impact upon customer satisfaction and intentions to revisit or recommend an ecolodge. Conversely, service quality continues to predict satisfaction for both first-time and repeat guests. The data suggest attracting first-time guests requires appeals to the setting, features and price of an offering. Meanwhile, strategies to maximize repeat guests should emphasize non-monetary qualities of the experience.
AndersonJCGerbingDW (1988) Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin103(3): 411–423.
2.
AnwarSASohailMS (2004) Festival tourism in the United Arab Emirates: First-time versus repeat visitor perceptions. Journal of Vacation Marketing10(2): 161–170.
3.
AseresSSiraR (2021) Ecotourism development in Ethiopia: Costs and benefits for protected area conservation. Journal of Ecotourism20(3): 224–249.
4.
BanJRamsaranR (2017) An exploratory examination of service quality attributes in the ecotourism industry. Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing34(1): 132–148.
5.
BandalosDL (2002) The effects of item parceling on goodness-of-fit and parameter estimate bias in structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal9(1): 78–102.
6.
BoorstinD (1964) The image: A guide to pseudo-events in America. New York, NY: Harper and Row.
7.
ChenCFChenF (2010) Experience quality, perceived value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists. Tourism Management31(1): 29–35.
8.
ChenXGoodmanSBruwerJ, et al. (2016) Beyond better wine: The impact of experiential and monetary value on wine tourists’ loyalty intentions. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research21(2): 172–192.
9.
ChiCQuH (2008) Examining the structural relationships of destination image, tourist satisfaction and destination loyalty: An integrated approach. Tourism Management29: 624–636.
10.
ChiCG (2012) An examination of destination loyalty: Differences between first time and repeat visitors. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research36(1): 3–24.
11.
CiniFLeoneLPassafaroP (2012) Promoting ecotourism among young people: A segmentation strategy. Environment and Behavior44(1): 87–106.
12.
CohenE (1972) Toward a sociology of international tourism. Social Research39(1): 164–189.
13.
ColeSTIllumSF (2006) Examining the mediating role of festival visitors’ satisfaction in the relationship between service quality and behavioral intentions. Journal of Vacation Marketing12(2): 160–173.
14.
CostelloH (2020) Global ecotourism market. Report. Orbis Research, India.
15.
CroninJTaylorS (1992) Measuring service quality: A reexamination and extension. The Journal of Marketing56(3): 55–68.
16.
CroninJBradyMHultG, et al. (2000) Assessing the effects of quality, value, and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments. Journal of Retailing76: 193–218.
17.
DasMChatterjeeB (2015) Ecotourism: A panacea or a predicament?Tourism Management Perspectives14(April): 3–16.
18.
DeanAJChurchEKLoderJ, et al. (2018) How do marine and coastal citizen science experiences foster environmental engagement?Journal of Environmental Management213(May): 409–416.
19.
De CantisSFerranteMKahaniA (2016) Cruise passengers' behavior at the destination: Investigation using GPS technology. Tourism Management52: 133–150.
20.
DolnicarS (2007) Market segmentation in tourism. In: WoodsideAMartinD (eds) Tourism Management: Analysis, Behaviour and Strategy. Cambridge: CAB International, 129–150.
21.
DolnicarSGrünBLeischF, et al. (2014) Required sample sizes for data-driven market segmentation analyses in tourism. Journal of Travel Research53(3): 296–306.
22.
DuffyR (2008) Neoliberalising nature: Global networks and ecotourism development in Madagascar. Journal of Sustainable Tourism16(3): 327–344.
23.
EaglesPF (1992) The travel motivations of Canadian ecotourists. Journal of Travel Research31(2): 3–7.
El-AdlyMI (2019) Modelling the relationship between hotel perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services50(September): 322–332.
26.
FlukerMRTurnerLW (2000) Needs, motivations and expectations of a commercial whitewater rafting experience. Journal of Travel Research38(4): 380–389.
27.
FodnessDMurrayB (1997) Tourist information search. Annals of Tourism Research24(3): 503–523.
28.
FornellCLarckerDF (1981) Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research18(1): 39–50.
29.
FrochotI (2005) A benefit segmentation of tourists in rural areas: A Scottish perspective. Tourism Management26(3): 335–346.
30.
FullerJMatzlerK (2008) Customer delight and market segmentation: An application of the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction on life style groups. Tourism Management29(1): 116–126.
31.
GalakJReddenP (2018) The properties and antecedents of hedonic decline. Annual Review of Psychology69(January): 1–25.
32.
GallarzaMSauraIMorenoF (2013) The quality-value-satisfaction-loyalty chain: Relationships and impacts. Tourism Review68(1): 3–20.
33.
GeraRMittalSBatraDK, et al. (2017) Evaluating the effects of service quality, customer satisfaction, and service value on behavioral intentions with life insurance customers in India. International Journal of Service Science, Management, Engineering, and Technology (IJSSMET)8(3): 1–20.
34.
GroenewegenPvan den BergAde VriesS, et al. (2006) Vitamin G: Effects of green space on health, well-being, and social safety. BMC Public Health7(6): 149.
35.
HairJFSarstedtMRingleCM, et al. (2012) An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science40(3): 414–433.
36.
HanHRyuK (2009) The roles of the physical environment, price perception, and customer satisfaction in determining customer loyalty in the restaurant industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research33(4): 487–510.
37.
HayesAF (2013) Methodology in the Social Sciences. Introduction to Mediation, Moderation and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach. New York: Guilford Press.
38.
HoldenASparrowhawkJ (2002) Understanding the motivations of ecotourists: The case of trekkers in Annapurna, Nepal. International Journal of Tourism Research4(6): 435–446.
39.
HosanySPrayagG (2013) Patterns of tourists’ emotional responses, satisfaction and intention to recommend. Journal of Business Research66(6): 730–737.
HultmanMKazeminiaAGhasemiV (2015) Intention to visit and willingness to pay a premium for ecotourism: The impact of attitude, materialism and motivation. Journal of Business Research68(9): 1854–1861.
42.
HungKPetrickJ (2011) Why do you cruise? Exploring the motivations for taking cruise holidays, and the construction of a cruising motivation scale. Tourism Management32(2): 386–393.
43.
JiCLiJNieY (2017) Effect of past experience on perceived service quality and customer satisfaction: The case of Chinese casino visitors. Journal of China Tourism Research13(1): 65–82.
44.
JiangZ (2015) Core self-evaluation and career decision self-efficacy: A mediation model of value orientations. Personality and Individual Differences86(November): 450–454.
45.
JiangZJiangX (2015) Core self-evaluation and life satisfaction: The person-environment fit perspective. Personality and Individual Differences75(March): 68–73.
46.
JinNLeeSLeeH (2015) The effect of experience quality on perceived value, satisfaction, image and behavioral intention of water park patrons: New versus repeat visitors. International Journal of Tourism Research17(1): 82–95.
47.
KaiserFGByrkaK (2011) Environmentalism as a trait: Gauging people’s prosocial personality in terms of environmental engagement. International Journal of Psychology46(1): 71–79.
48.
KaoYFHuangLSWuCH (2008) Effects of theatrical elements on experiential quality and loyalty intentions for theme parks. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research13(2): 163–174.
49.
KasserT (2016) Materialistic values and goals. Annual Review of Psychology67(January): 489–514.
KimKHParkDB (2017) Relationships among perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty: Community-based ecotourism in Korea. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing34(2): 171–191.
52.
KimSHHollandSHanHS (2013) A structural model for examining how destination image, perceived value, and service quality affect destination loyalty: A case study of Orlando. International Journal of Tourism Research15(4): 313–328.
53.
KimYHDuncanJChungBW (2015) Involvement, satisfaction, perceived value, and revisit intention: A case study of a food festival. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology13(2): 133–158.
54.
KlineRB (2011) Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modelling, 3rd ed.New York: Guilford Press.
55.
KozakM (2001) Repeaters’ behavior at two distinct destinations. Annals of Tourism Research28(3): 784–807.
56.
KwanPEaglesPFGebhardtA (2008) A comparison of ecolodge patrons’ characteristics and motivations based on price levels: A case study of Belize. Journal of Sustainable Tourism16(6): 698–718.
57.
LadhariR (2008) Alternative measures of service quality: A review. Managing Service Quality18: 65–86.
58.
LauALMcKercherB (2004) Exploration versus acquisition: A comparison of first-time and repeat visitors. Journal of Travel Research42(3): 279–285.
59.
LeonnardSE (2018) Perceived service quality, perceived value for money, satisfaction and repurchase intention: An evaluation on private university services. International Journal of Commerce and Finance4(1): 40–51.
60.
LiMCaiLA (2012) The effects of personal values on travel motivation and behavioral intention. Journal of Travel Research51(4): 473–487.
61.
LiXRChengCKKimH, et al. (2008) A systematic comparison of first-time and repeat visitors via a two-phase online survey. Tourism Management29(2): 278–293.
MaATChowASCheungLT, et al. (2018b) Impacts of tourists’ sociodemographic characteristics on travel motivation and satisfaction: The case of protected areas in South China. Sustainability10(3388): 1–21.
64.
MaATChowASCheungLT, et al. (2018a) Self-determined travel motivation and environmentally responsible behavior of Chinese visitors to national forest protected areas in South China. Global Ecology Conversation16(October): e00480.
65.
MafiMPrattSTruppA (2020) Determining ecotourism satisfaction attributes – a case study of an ecolodge in Fiji. Journal of Ecotourism19(4): 304–326.
66.
MairJ (2011) Exploring air travellers’ voluntary carbon-offsetting behaviour. Journal of Sustainable Tourism19(2): 215–230.
67.
McKercherBWongDY (2004) Understanding tourism behavior: Examining the combined effects of prior visitation history and destination status. Journal of Travel Research43(2): 171–179.
68.
Mendoza-RamosAPrideauxB (2017) Assessing ecotourism in an Indigenous community: Using, testing and proving the wheel of empowerment framework. Journal of Sustainable Tourism26(2): 277–291.
NusairKYoonHJNaipaulS, et al. (2010) Effect of price discount frames and levels on consumers’ perceptions in low-end service industries. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management22(6): 814–835.
71.
OliverRL (1997) Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill.
72.
OppermannM (1997) First-time and repeat visitors to New Zealand. Tourism Management18(3): 177–181.
73.
ParasuramanAZeithamlVABerryLL (1985) A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing49(4): 41–50.
74.
ParasuramanAZeithamlVABerryLL (1988) Servqual: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perc. Journal of Retailing64(1): 12–40.
75.
ParkJYJangS (2014) Sunk costs and travel cancellation: Focusing on temporal costTourism Management40(February): 425–435.
76.
PearcePLeeU (2005) Developing the travel career approach to tourist motivation. Journal of Travel Research43(3): 226–233.
77.
PeñaAIPJamilenaDMFMolinaMÁR (2013) Antecedents of loyalty toward rural hospitality enterprises: The moderating effect of the customer’s previous experience. International Journal of Hospitality Management34(1): 127–137.
78.
PetrickJF (2004) First timers’ and repeaters’ perceived value. Journal of Travel Research43(1): 29–38.
79.
PetrickJFBackmanSJ (2002) An examination of the construct of perceived value for the prediction of golf travelers’ intentions to revisit. Journal of Travel Research41(1): 38–45.
80.
PizamAShapovalVEllisT (2016) Customer satisfaction and its measurement in hospitality enterprises: A revisit and update. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management28(January): 2–35.
81.
PrayagGHosanyS (2014) When Middle East meets west: Understanding the motives andperceptions of young tourists from United Arab Emirates. Tourism Management40: 35–45.
82.
PrideauxBPabelASakataH (2018) The cassowary as a tourism icon: Opportunities and limitations. Journal of Ecotourism17(1): 43–66.
83.
RatherRAHollebeekLDRasoolimaneshSM (2021) First-time versus repeat tourism customer engagement, experience, and value cocreation: An empirical investigation. Journal of Travel Research1–16. DOI: 10.1177/0047287521997572
84.
RidWEzeudujiIPröbstl-HaiderU (2014) Segmentation by motivation for rual tourism activities in the Gambia. Tourism Management40: 102–116.
85.
SmithW (1956) Product differentiation and market segmentation as alternative marketing strategies. Journal of Marketing21(1): 3–8.
86.
StronzaALHuntCAFitzgeraldLA (2019) Ecotourism for conservation?Annual Review of Environment and Resources44: 229–253.
87.
SuLSwansonSRChenX (2016) The effects of perceived service quality on repurchase intentions and subjective well-being of Chinese tourists: The mediating role of relationship quality. Tourism Management52(February): 82–95.
88.
SweeneyJCSoutarGN (2001) Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple item scale. Journal of Retailing77(2): 203–220.
89.
ThraneC (1997) Vacation motives and personal value systems. Journal of Vacation Marketing3(3): 234–244.
90.
ThuyVTNTuuHHLlosaS, et al. (2020) An application of Tetraclass model for evaluating ecotourism service quality in Vietnam. Tourism and Hospitality Research20(3): 300–316.
91.
TsePCrottsJC (2005) Antecedents of novelty seeking: International visitors’ propensity to experiment across Hong Kong’s culinary traditions. Tourism Management26(6): 965–968.
92.
TsengMLLinCLinCWR, et al. (2019) Ecotourism development in Thailand: Community participation leads to the value of attractions using linguistic preferences. Journal of Cleaner Production231(September): 1319–1329.
93.
VynckeP (2002) Lifestyle segmentation: From attitudes, interests and opinions, to values, aesthetic styles, life visions and media preferences. European Journal of Communication17(4): 445–463.
WilliamsPSoutarGN (2009) Value, satisfaction and behavioral intentions in an adventure tourism context. Annals of Tourism Research36(3): 413–438.
96.
WooEKimHUysalM (2015) Life satisfaction and support for tourism development. Annals of Tourism Research50: 84–97.
97.
WoodME (2002) Ecotourism: Principles, Practices and Policies for Sustainability. North Bennington, VT: The International Ecotourism Society.
98.
WuHCLiMYLiT (2018) A study of experiential quality, experiential value, experiential satisfaction, theme park image, and revisit intention. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research42(1): 26–73.
99.
WuHCLiT (2017) A study of experiential quality, perceived value, heritage image, experiential satisfaction, and behavioral intentions for heritage tourists. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research41(8): 904–944.
100.
YoonYUysalM (2005) An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty: A structural model. Tourism Management26(1): 45–56.
101.
ZeithamlVABerryLLParasuramanA (1996) The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing60(2): 31–46.
ZinsA (2008) Market segmentation in tourism: A critical review of 20 years’ research efforts. In: KronenbergSPetersMPikkemaatB (eds) Change Management in Tourism: From ‘Old’ to ‘New’. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag, 289–301.
104.
ŽivadinovićB (2020) Tourist satisfaction with quality of service, food, atmosphere, and value for money in restaurants of major cities of the Western Balkans. The European Journal of Applied Economics17(2): 19–33.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
