Satisfaction and Its Relationship with Loyalty in Ecotourism: A Study in Costa Rica

Within ecotourism, the service can be improved with proper planning, achieving greater satisfaction and return of tourists, benefiting the destination and the community with higher income and employment. The objectives of this study were a) to analyze the relationships between tourists’ general satisfaction and loyalty, and b) to analyze the influence that the service aspects exert on the satisfaction and return of tourists. The study was conducted in Costa Rica, a Central American country with great ecological wealth for ecotourism. Three hundred ten questionnaires were filled out in the Arenal National Park and the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge. Spearman's statistical method of correlation was used for data analysis. As main results, the aspects of the service had a significant and positive influence on the satisfaction and return intentions of tourists. The aspects that most influenced general satisfaction were accessibility and infrastructure, tranquility, gastronomic quality, and the human treatment received. While the aspects that most influenced the return intentions were the tourist information and signage, the gastronomic quality, the accessibility of the infrastructure, and the equipment and facilities of the restaurant. The findings will serve to develop sustainable plans in protected areas and to improve service in ecotourism.

Between desires and reality: Investigating the return intentions among the second generation members of migrants from Serbia in Switzerland

Return migration is an under-explored area of population mobility studies. Although the return intention does not represent a guarantee for its realization, migrants who express the intention to return have a better chance of achieving it compared to those who do not even think about it. Return migration can have great importance for the country of origin?s overall development, especially when it comes to return of young people. The paper presents the results of a survey carried out among the second generation members of migrants from Serbia in canton of Lucerne (Switzerland) with the aim of determining their return intentions. The research excludes the possibility of short-term (temporary) return, and the respondents answered about the intentions related exclusively to permanent return. For the purposes of the paper, an online questionnaire was conducted as well as interviews. The results indicated the complexity and indissolubility of migrants? ties with the Republic of Serbia on different levels. However, the return intention has been shown to be influenced by a number of factors that are primarily related to life satisfaction in the country of destination. In that context, it is not surprising that most of the respondents (48.4%) do not plan to return to Serbia, some of them (30.3%) might return, while the smallest number of respondents (21.2%) intend to return. In contrast to the intentions of the respondents themselves, it was found that the respondents? parents (the first generation of migrants) have a greater intention to return to Serbia (66.7%). By crossing the data, it was determined that the return intention is most express among employedmen who are married, who send remittances and visit Serbia two to five times a year. The intention to stay in the country of destination is most express among women aged 20-24 who are employed, unmarried and have no children. In addition, the results showed that respondents who plan to return are more likely to make contact with friends and relatives in Serbia than respondents who do not plan to return.

The Dynamics of Refugee Return: Syrian Refugees and Their Migration Intentions

Despite the importance of understanding how refugee crises end, little is known about when and why refugees return home. We study the drivers of refugees’ decision-making using original observational and experimental data from a representative sample of 3,003 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. We find that conditions in a refugee’s home country are the primary drivers of return intentions. Refugees’ decisions are influenced primarily by safety and security in their place of origin, their economic prospects, the availability of public services, and their personal networks. Confidence in information is also important, as several drivers of return only impact intentions among people who have high confidence in their information. By contrast, the conditions in refugee–hosting countries––so-called “push” factors––play a much smaller role. Even in the face of hostility and poor living conditions, refugees are unlikely to return unless the situation at home improves significantly.

Adapting Herzberg: Predicting Attendees' Motivation, Satisfaction, and Intention to Revisit a Festival in Cameroon Using an Ordered Logit Approach

Festivals have, increasingly, become an important research focus in tourism. This study adapts Herzberg's two-factor theory to determine the satisfaction levels of attendees at the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), held in Limbe, Cameroon. Specifically, it investigated how the above are influenced by their a priori motivations to attend the event, and how their levels of satisfaction, in turn, affect their revisit intentions. Using survey data collected from 324 participants at the Festival, the study employed various specifications of the ordered logit model to predict the odds of attendees' satisfaction levels and revisit intentions, based on their motivation for attending the event. The findings confirm the applicability of the Herzberg theory in evaluating the relationship between the participants' motivation factors and their related satisfaction levels. Consistent with the existing literature, their satisfaction levels were also found to influence their return intentions significantly. The results also emphasize the moderating effect of expenditure considerations on the attendees' satisfaction levels. The findings, which have implications for both the event planners and the festival organizers, highlight the superiority of unique festival "motivators" in predicting satisfaction levels, suggesting that event planners focus on such characteristics if they intend to increase the attendees' satisfaction levels.

The role of blocked gratitude in non-voluntary tipping

Purpose Non-voluntary tipping (e.g. automatic gratuity) has received growing attention in the service industry. Existing research suggests customers respond unfavorably to non-voluntary tipping, yet little research has examined why. The current study aims to address this question, with particular interest in response to non-voluntary tipping under high-quality service. Design/methodology/approach Two scenario-based experiments tested the proposed hypotheses in between-participants design using ANOVA, hierarchical regression and PROCESS. Findings Study 1 showed that non-voluntary tipping resulted in higher negative emotions, which led to lower return intentions. Surprisingly, the negative effect of non-voluntary tipping was as strong (or stronger) under high (vs low) quality service. To understand this counterintuitive effect, Study 2 developed and tested two competing process models (i.e. blocked vengeance vs blocked gratitude). Supporting the blocked gratitude model, results revealed that non-voluntary tipping hinders customers’ ability to reward service employees, undermining positive emotions and lowering return intentions. Research limitations/implications Current work was conducted in two settings using two scenario-based experiments. Hence, additional settings with non-scenario-based studies are encouraged. Practical implications The present work cautions managers considering a move to non-voluntary tipping to be aware of its negative effects, especially when the service quality is high. The blocked gratitude model suggests that managers should clarify methods available for customers who wish to reward good service. Originality/value This paper is the first to examine customer response to non-voluntary tipping under different levels of service quality and the underlying emotional mechanisms.

What am I tipping you for? Customer response to tipping requests at limited-service restaurants

Purpose Tipping within the foodservice industry has traditionally been reserved for full-service restaurants. However, there is a growing trend of tip requests at limited-service restaurants, where tipping occurs prior to consuming the product. This research aims to examine the effect of a point-of-sale tip request at limited-service restaurants on return intentions via customer irritation. It also aims to analyze the moderating effects of check amount and perceived deservingness. Design/methodology/approach Four online scenario-based experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. Participants were recruited from MTurk for all experiments (NStudy 1 = 152; NStudy 2 = 296; NStudy 3 = 206; NStudy 4 = 134). Findings Studies 1 and 2 suggested a negative impact of presenting a tip request on return intentions, with customer irritation as the underlying mechanism. Study 3 found the indirect effect was significant only when the check amount was low. Study 4 found that perceived deservingness of a tip also moderated this effect; the indirect effect was significant only when customers felt the employee did not deserve a tip. The effect was attenuated when customers felt the employee deserved a tip. Originality/value This paper contributes to the underexplored area of tipping behavior in the limited-service context. The findings contrast extant research on voluntary tipping at full-service restaurants, thus advancing theory by suggesting the consequences of tip requests are contextual and providing practical insights to limited-service establishments contemplating whether to begin requesting tips.