Service Quality: Revisiting the Two Factors Theory

Present paper is based on the findings of the ongoing Ajmer Experiments. Ajmer Experiments are quasiexperiments that inquire into the consumer evaluation of service quality. The paper presents the two factors’ theory of the author. The paper suggests that a more detailed approach is required wherein each factor needs to be considered independently and not as an aggregate dimension. The paper reports evidence to support two - factor theory for services that was dis carded by earlier researchers. The paper argues to differentiate between the factors and the outcome of performance along these factors. The study describes the two factors as ‘vantage factors’ and ‘qualifying factors’. Marketers need to be selective in that certain factors behave as vantage factors while others as qualifying factors. The two are different in nature and require a differential treatment. The paper also analyses the nature and behavior of these two types of factors. Managerial implications of these factors are also dealt with in this paper

Prioritizing Service Quality Dimensions

Researchers all over have discussed and debated the contents of service quality. Multidimensionality of the service quality construct has been proposed. Further, researchers have attempted to prioritize the service quality dimensions. Authors have, as a part of a larger research initiative have made an attempt to analyze the prioritization among different service dimensions across different services types based on nature of service act and target of service act. Authors have concluded that a generalization of priority across all service types is not admissible. They also suggest different weights for different service quality dimensions depending upon the service types

Comparative Study of Fast Food Outlets

The paper is based on the study of the practices of branded eating joints in Mexico and India. The branded eating joints were selected for two reasons: One the sector is very competitive, two the joints have mature practices and three these are professionally managed taking sufficient care of the consumer preferences. India and Mexico are two countries placed diagonally opposite on the globe. In spite of a world full of differences between the two, there are some striking similarities. The study tries to highlight the differences in customer expectations vis -à-vis the fast food services in these two societies. The study evaluated the hypothesis by one, studying the consumer response- enabling gap analysis – what consumer wants and what he gets, two by analyzing the provider opinion of his/ her services, three by making independent observations. Most of the service providers have become conscious of the requirements of the customer satisfaction. They would like to have valuable feed back from the customer. Unfortunately, in spite of their best intentions they fail to understand that consumers of services have needs and requirements that are typically local. They are used to designing services and feedback evaluation forms that are standard and created and used by corporate offices. They fail to realize that local priorities often are different and vary from location to location. They perhaps need to even position their services accordingly. Branded (franchised) eating joints are a case in point. The study focused on identifying the relative importance of various service quality dimensions and the respective gap

Online Hospitality and Tourism Education - Issues and Challenges

The study attempts to understand students\u27 apprehensions, satisfaction, and experience concerning online hospitality and tourism education (HTE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focused group discussions were conducted to gather student experiences implementing ICT in hospitality and tourism education. The group discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in search of themes to identify and validate the constructs to develop the questionnaire for the study. The questionnaire was then presented before the subject experts to cross-check the validity of constructs. Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) was used to determine students\u27 satisfaction by comparing students\u27 perceptions to students\u27 expectations. The study\u27s findings show the importance of practical classes and labs and on-site instructor comments on students\u27 overall satisfaction. Online teaching can complement traditional classroom teaching but cannot fully replace lab sessions with instructor feedback. Transitioning to an online platform requires effective tools and curriculum modifications to fill the gap in industry expectations regarding student employability. Online teaching has immense capability, but it cannot be generalized and requires subject-specific attention and feedback. Online education needs to keep evolving alongside contemporary classroom teaching to meet student expectations. Future research would concentrate on communication, interpersonal, and technology skills and their effect on the study\u27s results

Spiritual Tourism and its Contribution to Psychological Wellness in the Post-Pandemic Era

The ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic have manifested adversities not just to the physical health of the people but have severe consequences on their psychological well-being. The earlier research bespeaks the ministration of spirituality and religion in the life of a psychologically troubling human as an efficient way of adding to their coping mechanism. In the same vein, the restorative powers of tourism have been widely recognised. The research aims to examine the psychological and emotional consequences of the pandemic and its associated measures, such as confinement, social distance, and mobility restrictions, on the people. Further explores the effect of the pandemic on travel intentions and motivations, with particular attention to tourism for spiritual purposes. The ontology of critical realism was effectively adopted for this qualitative study. Thirty-six travellers were interviewed through purposive sampling to understand the nature of the destination the tourists will opt for after the pandemic and their motivation behind the travel. The authors created a phenomenological connection between a person\u27s well-being and spiritual tours. A gap is filled in the literature on the inclination of tourists towards spirituality and will further lay premises for the discussion on the rise of spiritual travel after calamities

Green workers of Himalayas: evidence of transformation induced regeneration

Purpose – The investigation of the relationship between the future of humanity and the future of ecology is a pertinent issue. In this context, the study aimed to explore people's travel experience in the Himalayan region of India for transformation and well-being and how transformation induces their involvement in regenerative practices. The authors investigated if transformations contribute to the well-being of all living beings and the environment and induce involvement in regenerative practices? Design/methodology/approach – The authors preferred qualitative research design and selected narrative inquiry as a research approach to bring individuals' life stories to the centre stage for examination. Accordingly, diachronic data was collected, and a paradigmatic type of narrative inquiry was applied that uses paradigmatic analytical procedures to produce thematic categories and taxonomies from the database. Findings – Nine themes were identified and discussed in the light of existing literature. Transformational tourism promotes well-being and reduces mental health anomalies. The study participants used words like calm, compose, stress-free, and compassion, indicating enhanced consciousness. They also reported satisfaction and induced environmentally friendly behaviour after serving the community and environment at tourist destinations situated in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Union territory of Ladakh of the Himalayan region of India. Originality/value – The paper collates evidence to establish a correlation between transformation and regeneration. There is a suggestion that transformative travel leads to participation in regenerative activities. The paper is based on people's experiences described as green workers of the Indian Himalayas and provides empirical conclusions that support the argument of transformational induced regenerative tourism

Czy pandemia COVID-19 czasowo zatrzymała zjawisko overtourism?

Pandemia COVID-19 spowodowała radykalne zmiany w codziennym życiu ludzi oraz funkcjonowaniu gospodarek. Uważa się, iż zmiany te mają charakter ewolucyjny i zapoczątkują nową fazę transformacji, jednak praktyki stosowane obecnie zarówno przez osoby prywatne, jak i przez firmy mogą zostać zaniechane, gdy kryzys dobiegnie końca. W kontekście podróżowania powrót do nieodpowiedzialnych zachowań doprowadziłby do ponownego pojawienia się niechęci do turystyki. Celem niniejszej notatki jest rozważenie, czy pandemia COVID-19 jedynie czasowo rozwiązała istniejący wcześniej problem nadmiernej turystyki (overtourism) i związanego z nią braku stosowania zrównoważonych praktyk. Mimo iż ograniczenia w podróżowaniu wprowadzane przez różne państwa ze względu na rozprzestrzenianie się koronawirusa spowodowały wystąpienie zjawiska zamrożenia turystyki (zero tourism), w większości krajów świata działania w sektorze turystycznym zostały już wznowione. Autorzy niniejszej notatki, prezentując ramy koncepcyjne, podkreślają, że jeśli branża będzie nadal funkcjonować na takich samych zasadach jak przed pojawieniem się koronawirusa, problem nadmiernej turystyki wróci po zakończeniu się pandemii. Dlatego też, aby nie dopuścić do takiego rozwoju sytuacji, autorzy sugerują położenie nacisku na turystykę jakościową, wpajanie podróżującym odpowiedzialnych zachowań oraz wykorzystywanie zdobyczy technologicznych

Has COVID-19 brought a temporary halt to overtourism?

COVID-19 has caused radical changes in the lives of people as well as economies. These changes are deemed as evolutionary and would bring a new phase of transformation. However, current practices of both people and businesses might cease once the crisis disappears. In the tourism context, going back to unsustainable and irresponsible practices would lead to the re-emergence of tourism aversion. This research note addresses the possibility that COVID-19 has only brought a temporary halt to the pre-existing issue of over-tourism and its related unsustainable practices. Even though the travel restrictions imposed by several countries amidst the spread of coronavirus have created a situation of “zero tourism”, the tourism sector has now resumed its operations in most of the world. By presenting a conceptual framework, this note stresses that if the sector continues to act in the same way as before the virus, the situation of overtourism will re-emerge in the post-COVID-19 phase. Therefore, to prevent this issue, emphasising quality tourism, inculcating responsible behaviour, and the incorporation of technology are suggested

Tourist Guides’ Perspectives of Demarketing the Taj Mahal

A UNESCO world heritage site since 1983, the Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra in India is an important contributor to tourism in India. In the year 2018 alone, approximately 280 million tourists visited the monument. However, the popularity of the site has several negative impacts such as yellowing of the structure, pollution and overcrowding which endangers this built cultural heritage. Due to this, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which is the national authority entrusted with managing heritage sites, has initiated steps to check overcrowding in the Taj Mahal. One of the widely adopted strategies is demarketing. This paper discusses the impact of different demarketing techniques implemented at Taj Mahal on the tourist guides operating in the monument. To do this, investigative research was conducted with a total of 17 tourist guides who offer their services at the Taj Mahal. A thematic analysis based on semi-structured in-depth interviews was carried out. The study found that though the tourist guides at Taj Mahal are not directly affected by the demarketing measures yet, they face the reverberations of these initiatives. They appreciate the strategies adopted by the authorities to curtail overcrowding and emphasise the need for conservation of the monument as well. The study suggests that demarketing measures not only help in conserving the monument but also prove beneficial for stakeholders. The findings of the study are helpful for policymakers, and monument leadership in taking such measures to control the excessive tourism activities without affecting local stakeholders’ income. As demarketing is a delicate measure, it should be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis, taking important stakeholders into confidence. Various destinations have applied demarketing strategies in western countries, however, in India, the Taj Mahal is the first monument which has decided to implement such techniques to curb excessive flows of tourists. This study provides a fresh perspective on the effectiveness of this strategy. Further, the concept of demarketing is novel to stakeholders in India in general and the Taj Mahal in particular

Slum Dwellers’ Perceptions of Tourism in Dharavi, Mumbai

The chapter presents a case study of slum tourism in Dharavi in Mumbai, India, where daily slum tours are taken to observe the lives of those who live and work in the slums. The authors firstly question the ethics of such a form of tourism and the extent to which it is intrusive in the lives of local inhabitants. While some authors and researchers defend the idea that slum tourism and slum tours may help to fight poverty and bring economic benefits, others are convinced that it is purely voyeuristic and a form of ‘poverty porn’. However, the research on this phenomenon from the perspective of the host communities has been very limited. This chapter therefore attempts to redress this gap and presents the results of interviews with slum dwellers and other stakeholder groups in Dharavi.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe