A conceptual model of tourist satisfaction

Abstract

Tourism is a rapidly growing business that receives global attention. Successful tourism business will offer many benefits to the host countries. Although Malaysia's tourism industry is fast expanding, studies on satisfaction in the tourism context are still limited. Hence, conducting more satisfaction research in the Malaysian tourism context is vital. In this paper, three factors related to satisfaction namely service quality, value and experience are discussed. Previous studies only show direct relationship between these three constructs on satisfaction creation. However, based on comprehensive literature review, it is believed interactions of these constructs can be more complex and not limited to a one-to-one direct relationship. This paper puts forward a conceptual framework which describes how satisfaction can be influenced directly and indirectly by the three above-mentioned variables.