Measuring the Quality of the Tourist Experience: the Case Study of the Azores

Abstract

This paper investigates one of the underlying dimensions  of  the   sustainable   tourism   concept in the case of the Azores: the overall quality of the tourist experience. An exit questionnaire was given to a sample of 400 tourists during the high season (summer).  Twenty-five  attributes  were   evaluated to determine the relative  importance  in  desti- nation choice (expectations) and tourist satisfaction (perceptions), in order to measure destination performance. Scenery and nature received the highest mean scores in attribute importance and satisfaction. Average satisfaction exceeded average importance for all the attributes and significant differences were found in eleven attributes. Six relevant factors in destination choice and five relevant factors in destination performance were identified using factor analysis. Cluster analysis on the satisfaction factors revealed the presence of three distinct groups: the Delighted (37,5%), the Discoverers (47,7%) and Socializers (14,8%). Tourist satisfaction contributes to repeat visits and to the recommendation of the tourist destination to others.