Impact of logistics service performance on tourist satisfaction and loyalty
Creators: name: Liang, Hui-Chung
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024

description: This thesis reports a study of the role of logistics service performance in the tourism industry. Tourism studies have previously explored the impacts of tourism supply and demand, service quality and perceived service value on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. Service quality has been largely understated in its importance for tourist satisfaction and loyalty. Logistics service performance has become an increasingly important issue for tourism. However, little previous research has focused on the impact of logistics service performance on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. <br><br>This study contends that without an adequate level of logistics service performance, tourism products may not be able to fully satisfy tourists experience despite their attractiveness. This thesis then examines the role of logistics service performance in the tourism industry. Logistics service performance has been largely been researched only in studies of supply chains in the manufacturing industries. These manufacturing studies argue that only high quality performance of logistics services can win repeated customers and improve their purchase satisfaction. Using this basis to the research coupled with the existing understanding of the factors affecting tourism satisfaction, a conceptual model was developed to depict the relationships between six constructs, which are logistics service performance, tourism suppliers’ service performance, perceived service value, overall tourist satisfaction, and tourist loyalty. A quantitative analysis of a study of international tourists in Taipei, Taiwan concludes that logistics service performance is an important antecedent to tourist satisfaction and loyalty; that information technology has a significant effect on order accuracy and quality; and that order efficiency, discrepancy and flexibility are significant constructs of logistics service performance. <br><br>A further qualitative study of tourists in Taipei showed that they are concerned more about time value during tourism activity through logistics service performance, contributing to their whole journey and making their travel more enjoyable and satisfying. The analysis of the interview data suggests that tourism suppliers can improve logistics service performance through the internet and website services; and that having professional staff plays a critical role in delivering quality and accuracy of logistics service performance. <br><br>This thesis argues that logistics service performance is an important consideration of tourism service quality; that service quality influences logistics service performance and in turn perceived service value, both of which impact on tourist satisfaction and then on loyalty. This study shows that professional service quality can improve the quality of logistics service performance and thereby service value as perceived by customers. Adoption of these factors in tourism practice, it is suggested, would impact on tourists’ intentions to revisit that destination in future. This research then has demonstrated the significance of the role of logistics service performance within the tourism industry and has built a tourist loyalty model to include logistics service performance to fill a gap within the existing tourism studies literature.<br>