The index of tourist satisfaction with Lithuania

Abstract

Abstract During the past decades, tourism has become one of the fastest growing areas in the service sector in the world. If the aspiration is to develop a well-organised tourism industry, then fulfilment of tourist needs and wishes should be achieved. The most common technique for identifying the compatibility between tourist needs and the experience with tourism destination is tourist satisfaction measurement. Lithuania is a small country in the northern part of Central/ Eastern Europe; the country is rarely considered as an independent tourist destination, but mostly as one of the Baltic States. Foreign tourist satisfaction is very important for the country. Considering the necessity to excel in the region, the aim of the research is to develop the index of tourist satisfaction of Lithuania. The previously elaborated model of Lithuanian tourist satisfaction index is used as a background. The index of tourist satisfaction of Lithuania is constructed by the following stages: 1. A questionnaire research with foreign tourists, based on a theoretical model of Lithuanian Tourist Satisfaction Index, is provided; 2. The impact of model’s variables on tourist satisfaction with Lithuania is determined; 3. The main variables having an impact on foreign tourist satisfaction with Lithuania are determined; and a general model of the index of tourist satisfaction of Lithuania is composed.