Element

Definition

Measurement

The physical plant

· A site, natural resource, or facility (waterfall, wildlife, or resort);

· Fixed property (hotel, cruise ship);

· Conditions of the physical environment (weather, water quality, crowding, and tourism infrastructure).

· Basic parts: land, water, buildings, equipment and infrastructure.

· Physical design impact on the consumer’s experience.

· Physical plant quality can be assessed by user’s experience enhancement, environment protection, and makes the product accessible to tourists with a wide range of physical abilities or limitations.

Service

· Service makes the physical plant useful for tourists;

· The performance of specific tasks required to meet the needs of tourists.

· Technical-competent performance of a task.

· Quality measurement:

· Performance of employees against whose technical knowledge;

· Service quality (Gronroos, 1983);

· Service management (Fitzsimmons and Sullivan, 1982)

Hospitality

· Something extra or enhanced service;

· The attitude or style in which the task is performed;

· Be sensitive to the pressures on a business traveller, encouragement to play for pleasure traveller;

· Expression of welcome by local residents;

· Smile, genuine warmth, and willingness.

· More difficult;

· Solicited and unsolicited customer feedback(Nightingale, 1985; Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988); Saleh and Ryan (1991);

· Tourist experience (Dann, 1976; Gunn, 1988; Jefferson and Lickorish, 1988; Murphy, 1985; Prentice, 1993);

· Tourism product is a human experience;

· Inclusion of the tourists as a part of tourism product.

Freedom of choice

· Refer to the necessity that the traveller has some acceptable range of options in order for the experience to be satisfactory;

· The degree depends on the purpose of travel (pleasure, business, family matter, or a combination);

· Varies with a budget, previous experience, knowledge;

· Reliance on the travel agency or prepackaged tours;

· Must include some elements of choice;

· Roles of freedom of choice in recreational or pleasure travel: particularly clear;

· The most basic choice is the freedom to purchase or not.

· Freedom implies not just choice but also the potential for happiness, surprises and spontaneity.

· Choice

· Happy

· Surprise

· Spontaneity

· Spontaneity: deciding on one’s sleeping and waking times, making a last-minute decision to get away for a weekend or making a major departure from an itinerary.

· Relation to value

Involvement

· Consumers participate;

· The combination of an acceptable physical plant, good service, hospitality, and freedom of choice (basis);

· Physical, intellectual and emotional involvement;

· Physical participation, a sense of engagement in activities.

· The quality of “flow” (Csikszentmihalyi 1975; Mannell, Larson and Zusanek, 1988), in which the participant “loses” himself in an activity;

· Concentrate on those activities important to the purpose of the trip;

· The business traveller can focus on conducting business without worrying about the availability or adequacy of accommodation, meals, or transportation.

· Pleasure traveller:

· Playing or relaxing in a way that is personally satisfying;

· Feeling sufficiently safe and secure;

· Capturing the imagination (immersion, interaction and imagination), interest, and enthusiasm;

· Cause time to pass without notice (explore the world, people, own mental and emotional response to the trip);

· Involvement, combined with the freedom of choice, warm hospitality, competent service, and a good physical plant (which includes accessibility, acceptable environmental quality, good weather, and appropriate numbers of other people), virtually guarantees quality and satisfying tourism product.