Exploring the experiential and sociodemographic drivers of satisfaction and loyalty in the theme park context (original) (raw)
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Make it delightful: Customers' experience, satisfaction and loyalty in Malaysian theme parks
Responding to the need of studies covering the interplay between customer experience and emotions within specific facets of the tourism industry, this study proposed a model to assess vistor experience and its effect on their delight, satisfaction and loyalty in Malaysian theme parks. Based on convenience sampling, a sample of 292 visitors at two theme parks in Malaysia was selected. Data was subjected to partial least squares analysis based on structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings showed that all of the hypotheses were supported, indicating that physical setting, interaction with staff and interaction with other customers had a significant impact on both customer delight and satisfaction. Moreover, customer delight influenced customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The results suggest that theme park managers need to pay attention to maintaining a good physical setting, managing their human resources well and managing the behaviour of other customers in order to ensure that their customers receive delightful experiences.
Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 2020
Crowding has become popular in academic research. Empirical studies have not, however, addressed the role of crowding on increasingly popular theme-park settings. This study explores the relative influences of perceived crowding and perceived popularity on theme-park product perceptions, which then influence satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Survey data (N=477) indicates that perceived crowding has a negative effect on internal access (or navigation) of the theme-park experience, while perceived popularity has positive effects on internal access, outdoor entertainment, and retail practices aspects of the theme-park overall experiences. These aspects of theme-park experiences have significant influences on visitors' satisfaction, which then affect behavioral intentions of word-of-mouth, willingness to pay price premiums, and revisit. The external access aspect of themepark experiences is not influenced by either crowding or popularity, and this aspect does not influence satisfaction either. The theoretical and managerial implications of the study are critical, especially for recovery efforts post COVID-19.
International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences
Theme Park service provider needs to understand the dimension of service quality to stay competitive. Therefore, this study aims to examine the proposed Theme Park Service Quality Dimensions (i.e., Staff Attitude, Staff Professionalism, Facilities, Cleanliness, Signage, Ride Attraction, Waiting Time, F&B Outlet, Technologies, and Safety and Security) towards visitors' experiences and revisit intention of the theme park in Malaysia. With the aid of previous literature, 10 primary theme park service quality dimensions have been identified and are suitable for the study context. Six dimensions, i.e., Safety and security, Facilities, Staff Professionalism, F&B outlet, Ride attraction, and Signage, are identified using exploratory factor analysis. Regression analysis was conducted to identify the influence of theme park service quality dimensions on visitors' experience as a mediator and revisit intentions as the dependent variable. The result indicates that theme park service quality dimensions significantly influence visitors' experience and revisit intention. Hence, the findings are expected to improve the quality of the theme park service provider's service and contribute to the knowledge that can be replicated in the various service industries.
The theme park experience: An analysis of pleasure, arousal and satisfaction
Tourism Management, 2005
This article analyses how visitor emotions in a theme park environment influence satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Emotions consist of two independent dimensions, i.e. pleasure and arousal. Two competing models were tested. The first model is derived from the environmental psychology research stream as developed by (An Approach to Environmental Psychology, MIT Press, Cambridge, 1974), where the visitor's arousal generates pleasure and, in turn, approach/avoidance behaviour. This emotioncognition model is supported by Zajonc and Markus (1984). The second model to be tested is based on Lazarus' (Emotion and Adaptation, Oxford University Press, New York, 1991) cognitive theory of emotions. In this latter model, emotions are elicited by visitors' disconfirmation of the theme park. Using confirmatory factor analysis, it was supported that the cognitive theory of emotions better explains the effect of pleasure on satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, consumers' willingness to pay more for the service is more likely to be induced by disconfirmation than by satisfaction alone. Managerial implications concerning the cognitive-affective sequence of satisfaction are discussed. r
The Effect of Recreational Experiences and Emotional Gratification on Guest Loyalty in Resorts
Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality (JAAUTH) (Print), 2022
The aim of the study is to examine the effect of guests' recreational experience and emotional gratification at resort hotels on guest loyalty. The aim of the study was achieved by employing an integrative model using SmartPLS. The convenient sampling was used. Four hundred questionnaires form were distributed to resort hotel guests in Sharm El-Sheikh, out of which 305 were returned, and 286 usable ones were statistically handled (71.5% response rate). Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze the questionnaire forms collected from resort hotel guests. The study results show that most experience factors (entertainment, education, and escapism) significantly affected guest loyalty. Furthermore, three factors of emotional gratification (i.e., fun, the vicarious release of emotions, and social sharing of emotion) were essential for guest loyalty. The study holds crucial academic implications for future scholarly research in tourism and hospitality. Hotel management should hire professional teams and provide different training programs for the animation team. The hotel managers should motivate senior guests to use recreational activities to enhance their experience and increase their loyalty. The animation team should design activities that attract guests.
Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights
Purpose Despite multiple studies of customer delight in various service industries, limited research exists in the hedonically driven theme park context. The purpose of this paper is to explore the key drivers of customer delight and outrage in theme parks by analyzing TripAdvisor’s comments from visitors to the top 20 North American theme parks. Design/methodology/approach Following the analysis of thousands of extremely positive and negative comments using MAXQDA qualitative software, keywords drivers of delight and outrage were identified. The researchers applied both thematic and root cause in order to ascertain the sources leading to both positive and negative consumer feedback. Findings Delighted guests relayed various aspects of their experience including positive affect experience, positive value perceptions, and limited wait times. Root causes that influenced customer delight included: excellent core product, quality food and beverage, servicescape, pricing decisions, and l...
Customer delight and outrage in theme parks: A roller coaster of emotions
International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 2019
The present study explored the key drivers of customer delight and outrage in North American theme parks. Following content analysis of TripAdvisor postings, the authors revealed the most frequently used codes for delight including rides, travel advice, fun, physical environment, positive food and beverage experience, and well-managed lines. The most frequently used codes for outrage included: pricing, wait times, poor service, malfunctioning attractions, lack of variety, low quality of food, and lack of updates. These codes revealed five key constructs of theme park experiential consumption: core products, customer service, affective individual experience, management philosophy and practice, and pricing.
Many scholars and practitioners indicate a need to provide extraordinary experiences that delight rather than satisfy. The extant tourism literature on hedonistic experiences has focused on identifying particular stimuli that appear to be associated with positive emotional outcomes, rather than examining the psychological processes that explain the elicitation of emotion. This study uses cognitive appraisal theory (CAT) to explain some visitors may be delighted and other satisfied from similar experiences, as well as their respective effects on revisitation intentions. A survey (n=645) of visitors to a theme parks showed that tourists’ different evaluations of their experience on certain appraisal dimensions proposed by CAT, such as the degree of goal realisation, goal relevance and novelty, led to either delight or satisfaction. Tourists’ level of loyalty intentions were also varied systematically with their particular emotional response. These findings provide practitioners with an understanding of how to design favourable experiences for their customers.
DETERMINING VISITORS' SATISFACTION IN THEME PARKS: A CASE FROM KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
Theme park is one of the tourism products in Malaysia that generate the income to the country and influence the growth of tourism economy. Theme park in Malaysia has been the selected as the prior destination among the residents and tourist as it is one of famous attraction site for the purpose of leisure, recreational, entertainment and enjoyable activities besides providing tourist experience at the destination. The proposed research has been selected in one of the biggest and famous theme park in Malaysia which is Sunway Lagoon Theme Park located in the city of Petaling Jaya in Selangor. The objective of the research is to determine the visitor satisfaction at the attraction site, theme park of Sunway Lagoon Water Theme Park. Satisfied visitors also will influence the repetition of visitor to the theme park and build loyal customer and influence repeat visitor. Review from the primary data source which is journal papers of research study on related topics takes place. The data collection that able to gather the required respondents by the usage of stratified random sampling has been carried out. The descriptive and cross-sectional studies and quantitative data by using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) has been selected in performing data analysis. The findings obtained showed a wide choice of recreational activities, service quality (using SERVQUAL dimensions) and queue management aspect has conclude that all the variables has positive relationship in towards determining visitors satisfaction. An additional information of pull and push factors determinants has been concluded in the aspect of motivation among visitors. The results obtained able to contribute to the related tourism products besides for the educational references for the future.