Evaluation of perceived service quality provided by tourism establishments in Egypt

Abstract

The tourism industry has recently become one of the most important components of developing economies and a main contributor toward their growth. As a multidimensional industry, it consists of several sectors including accommodation, transport, attractions, etc. Hence, the tourism product represents a complex of tangible and intangible elements, which are mutually, spatially and functionally integrated as a whole, apparent as a range of services arising from the needs, desires and demands of tourists. Recently, the fierce competitive business environment worldwide has made quality one of the most important sources of competitive advantage for tourism enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of international tourists concerning the service quality provided by three of the main tourism establishments in Egypt, including airlines, hotels and travel agencies, depending on the Service-Performance model. There were two main findings in this exploration. First, tourists had in general good perceptions as regards the services provided by the tourism establishments investigated; and hence, they were overall satisfied with their quality. However, there are some weak aspects that need improvement. Second, the five dimensions of the Service-Performance model had a significant effect on tourists’ overall satisfaction.