@2024 Afarand., IRAN
ISSN: 2538-4384 Geographical Researches 2020;35(4):317-324
ISSN: 2538-4384 Geographical Researches 2020;35(4):317-324
Assessment and Analysis of the Quality of Tourism Services in Rural Areas from the Perspective of Tourists; the Case Study of Torqabeh Villages in Binaloud City
ARTICLE INFO
Article Type
Original ResearchAuthors
Sojasi qeidari H. (*1)Bazri keshtan A. (2)
Gandhari E. (1)
(*1) Department of Geography, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
(2) Department of Tourism, Binaloud University, Torqabeh, Iran
Correspondence
Address: Azadi Square, Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Postal Code: 917794884.Phone: +98 (51) 38802000
Fax: +98 (51) 38807060
ssojasi@um.ac.ir
Article History
Received: June 27, 2020Accepted: August 8, 2020
ePublished: December 12, 2020
ABSTRACT
Aims & Backgrounds
The tourism industry is one of the most sensitive industries in terms of quality of service to the tourists. Therefore, identifying the real level of quality of received services by tourists will be the first step to increase their satisfaction. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of tourism services in rural areas of Torqabeh in Binaloud city from the perspective of tourists.
Methodology This descriptive-analytical study was conducted among 263 tourists in rural areas of Torqabeh in Binaloud city in 2019. Data were collected using library resources and in the field using a questionnaire to assess the quality of tourism services and were analyzed by one-sample t-test, Vikor and entropy models and SERVQUAL model.
Findings Jaghargh village with the Q-score of 0.034 had the highest rank due to the presence of more attractions, the availability of amenities and services, sanitary infrastructures, car park, and so on. Hesar village with the Q-score of 459.71 had the lowest rank among the villages of the study area due to the lack of communication and road infrastructures and the high distance to the center of the city. Also the results of SERVQUAL model showed that there is a moderate gap between the administration and expectations of tourists in terms of the quality of rural tourism services.
Conclusion The tourist destination villages have a difference spatially in the service quality and also in terms of the service quality gap, the largest gap is observed in terms of the empathy and accountability dimensions.
Methodology This descriptive-analytical study was conducted among 263 tourists in rural areas of Torqabeh in Binaloud city in 2019. Data were collected using library resources and in the field using a questionnaire to assess the quality of tourism services and were analyzed by one-sample t-test, Vikor and entropy models and SERVQUAL model.
Findings Jaghargh village with the Q-score of 0.034 had the highest rank due to the presence of more attractions, the availability of amenities and services, sanitary infrastructures, car park, and so on. Hesar village with the Q-score of 459.71 had the lowest rank among the villages of the study area due to the lack of communication and road infrastructures and the high distance to the center of the city. Also the results of SERVQUAL model showed that there is a moderate gap between the administration and expectations of tourists in terms of the quality of rural tourism services.
Conclusion The tourist destination villages have a difference spatially in the service quality and also in terms of the service quality gap, the largest gap is observed in terms of the empathy and accountability dimensions.
CITATION LINKS
[1]Akroush M N, Jraisat LE Kurdieh DJ, AL-Faouri RN, Qatu L (2016). Tourism service quality and destination loyalty – the mediating role of destination image from international tourists’ perspectives. Tourism Review. 71(1):18 -44
[2]Alexandris K, Douka S, Papadopoulos P, Kaltsatou A (2008). Testing the role of service quality on the development of brand associations and brand loyalty. Managing Service Quality. 18(3):239-254.
[3]Atilgan E, Akinci S, Aksoy S (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality. 13(5):412-422.
[4]Atilgan E, Akinci S, Aksoy S (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality. 13(5):412-422.
[5]Bodvarsson O, Gibson W (2002). Tipping and service quality: A reply to Lynn. The Social Science Journal. 39(2):471-476.
[6]Butnaru GI, Miller A (2012). Conceptual approaches on quality and theory of tourism services. Procedia Economics and Finance. 3(2):375-380.
[7]Căruntu AL, Diţoiu MC (2014). The perceptions of hospitality services of a tourism destination. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 109(3):231-235.
[8]Galeeva R (2016). SERVQUAL application and adaptation for educational service quality assessments in Russian higher education. Quality Assurance in Education. 24(3):329-348.
[9]Holland J, Burian M, Dixey L (2003). Tourism in poor rural areas diversifying the product and expanding the benefits in rural Uganda and the Czech Republic. London: PSA Publixcations.
[10]Kavousi MR, Saqaei A (2005). Measurement Methods of Customer’s Satisfaction. Tehran: Ame Publications. [Persian]
[11]Khosrobigi R, Taghiloo AA, Shayan H, Darvishi H (2012). Investigating the quality level of tourism services and its impact on tourist attraction in rural areas, a case study: Tourism target villages in the Shiraz-Yasuj axis. Journal of Space Geography. 7(3):1-23. [Persian]
[12]Manafian H, Daneshvar Ameri J (2014). Exploring the shortcomings of tourism services in Abyaneh village from the perspective of tourists. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research. 2(45):343-350. [Persian]
[13]Martín-Cejas RR (2006) Tourism service quality begins at the airport. Tourism Management. 27(5):874-877.
[14]Mitchell J (2006). Conflicting threat perceptions at a rural agricultural fair. Tourism Management. 27(6):1298-1307.
[15]Molera L, Pilar Albaladejo I (2007) Profiling segments of tourists in rural area of Sout-Eastern Spain. Tourism Management. 28(3):757-767.
[16]Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry LL (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing. 63(1):12–37.
[17]Prabaharan B, Arulraj A, Rajagopal V (2008). Service quality on tourism: Application of structural equation modeling. Conference on Tourism in India – Challenges Ahead. 2008, 15-17 May, India: IIMK Publiction.
[18]Prabhakaran S, Vikneswaran N, Sridar R (2014). Community participation in rural tourism: Towards a conceptual framework. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 144:290-295.
[19]Rajaratnam SD, Munikrishnan UT, Sharif SP, Nair V (2014). Service quality and previous experience as a moderator in determining tourists’ satisfaction with rural tourism destinations in Malaysia: A partial least squares approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 23(2):203 – 211.
[20]Sojasi qeidari H, Sadeghloo T (2016). Analysis and explanation of the role of environmental quality in attracting tourists to rural tourism destinations. Journal of Geographical Research. 2(31):32-49. [Persian]
[21]Spreng RA, Shi LH, Page TJ (2009). Service quality and satisfaction in business-to-business services. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. 24(8):537–548.
[22]Titu MM, Raulea A-S, Titu S (2016). Measuring service quality in tourism Industry. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 221:294-301.
[23]Yang L (2012). Tourists’ perceptions of ethnic tourism in Lugu Lake, Yunnan, China. Journal of Heritage Tourism. 7(1):59–81.
[2]Alexandris K, Douka S, Papadopoulos P, Kaltsatou A (2008). Testing the role of service quality on the development of brand associations and brand loyalty. Managing Service Quality. 18(3):239-254.
[3]Atilgan E, Akinci S, Aksoy S (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality. 13(5):412-422.
[4]Atilgan E, Akinci S, Aksoy S (2003). Mapping service quality in the tourism industry. Managing Service Quality. 13(5):412-422.
[5]Bodvarsson O, Gibson W (2002). Tipping and service quality: A reply to Lynn. The Social Science Journal. 39(2):471-476.
[6]Butnaru GI, Miller A (2012). Conceptual approaches on quality and theory of tourism services. Procedia Economics and Finance. 3(2):375-380.
[7]Căruntu AL, Diţoiu MC (2014). The perceptions of hospitality services of a tourism destination. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 109(3):231-235.
[8]Galeeva R (2016). SERVQUAL application and adaptation for educational service quality assessments in Russian higher education. Quality Assurance in Education. 24(3):329-348.
[9]Holland J, Burian M, Dixey L (2003). Tourism in poor rural areas diversifying the product and expanding the benefits in rural Uganda and the Czech Republic. London: PSA Publixcations.
[10]Kavousi MR, Saqaei A (2005). Measurement Methods of Customer’s Satisfaction. Tehran: Ame Publications. [Persian]
[11]Khosrobigi R, Taghiloo AA, Shayan H, Darvishi H (2012). Investigating the quality level of tourism services and its impact on tourist attraction in rural areas, a case study: Tourism target villages in the Shiraz-Yasuj axis. Journal of Space Geography. 7(3):1-23. [Persian]
[12]Manafian H, Daneshvar Ameri J (2014). Exploring the shortcomings of tourism services in Abyaneh village from the perspective of tourists. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research. 2(45):343-350. [Persian]
[13]Martín-Cejas RR (2006) Tourism service quality begins at the airport. Tourism Management. 27(5):874-877.
[14]Mitchell J (2006). Conflicting threat perceptions at a rural agricultural fair. Tourism Management. 27(6):1298-1307.
[15]Molera L, Pilar Albaladejo I (2007) Profiling segments of tourists in rural area of Sout-Eastern Spain. Tourism Management. 28(3):757-767.
[16]Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry LL (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing. 63(1):12–37.
[17]Prabaharan B, Arulraj A, Rajagopal V (2008). Service quality on tourism: Application of structural equation modeling. Conference on Tourism in India – Challenges Ahead. 2008, 15-17 May, India: IIMK Publiction.
[18]Prabhakaran S, Vikneswaran N, Sridar R (2014). Community participation in rural tourism: Towards a conceptual framework. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 144:290-295.
[19]Rajaratnam SD, Munikrishnan UT, Sharif SP, Nair V (2014). Service quality and previous experience as a moderator in determining tourists’ satisfaction with rural tourism destinations in Malaysia: A partial least squares approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 23(2):203 – 211.
[20]Sojasi qeidari H, Sadeghloo T (2016). Analysis and explanation of the role of environmental quality in attracting tourists to rural tourism destinations. Journal of Geographical Research. 2(31):32-49. [Persian]
[21]Spreng RA, Shi LH, Page TJ (2009). Service quality and satisfaction in business-to-business services. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing. 24(8):537–548.
[22]Titu MM, Raulea A-S, Titu S (2016). Measuring service quality in tourism Industry. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 221:294-301.
[23]Yang L (2012). Tourists’ perceptions of ethnic tourism in Lugu Lake, Yunnan, China. Journal of Heritage Tourism. 7(1):59–81.