Tourist Satisfaction in Kashmir: An Empirical Assessment

Abstract

Tourist satisfaction is one of the most important concerns of competitive destinations as it considerably<br />influences the tourist’s choice of a destination, the consumption of products and services and the<br />decision to visit the destination in the future. With the increasing role of tourism in the global economy<br />and growing competition in the global tourism market, the importance of enhancing the satisfaction<br />level of tourists is being recognized as a way to expand and maintain a large and loyal customer base<br />for long-term success. Satisfied tourists bring success to the tourism business. They are likely to revisit<br />and recommend the destination to their families and friends. On the other hand, dissatisfied tourists<br />may not return to the same destination and may not recommend it to other tourists. Even worse,<br />dissatisfied tourists may express negative comments about a destination and damage its market<br />reputation. In view of the growing importance of tourist satisfaction for tourism promotion, present<br />study is an attempt to measure the satisfaction level of tourists in Kashmir Valley. Based on data<br />gathered from three hundred forty (340) tourists, the study brought to light four interpretable service<br />quality dimensions for tourism services: Assurance, Tangibility, Responsiveness and Reliability.<br />Findings are analyzed and suggestions for improving tourists’ satisfaction have been discussed.