Perception in both tourism and marketing settings is the primary indicator of determining and predicting consumer behavior and decision making. These perceptions which can originate from an individual’s experience are influential and often rational. The general picture of a destination is generated through the perception of a person and usually relies on the viewer’s personal traits and external stimuli.
Recently, it has been noted that tourists habitually have some preliminary anticipations of a particular facility before they make use of it. This fact reveals that anticipations of a consisted purchaser depend more on their beforehand experiences than the available information about the service. It is also imperative to note that their overall expectations are not static due to the ever-changing industry environment. Various researchers in this line of thought support this argument holding that tourist’s perceptions and expectations play a significant role while crafting consumption decisions.
A satisfaction a tourist derives from a particular destination determines their chances of going back for similar services in the future. And therefore, as noted by many academics and researchers, tourist contentment is critical to viable destination marketing since it impacts the selection of destination, probability to reappear as well as the usage of products offered there. Satisfaction in this context means a post-buying experience of a customer or the degree to which the service meets his or her needs.
Moreover, many contributors to this concept argue for the perception that destination image is an important variable because it affects tourists’ consumption behaviors and at times their satisfaction. They maintain that the destination image is an independent factor which impacts on other consumption norms of an individual before, in the course, and even after receiving the services offered. Henceforth, it is imperative for the destination image to not only be positive but also strong due to its significance in consumer behavior prediction.
Customer satisfaction breeds their faithfulness and loyalty for the goods and services they receive in a given amenity. Their level of faithfulness depends entirely on the benefits they reap after using the product on offer and later influences their purchase decisions. Augmented customer faithfulness and loyalty often strengthens their relationships with the service provider and chances of consuming competitor’s goods declines substantially.
Enhanced customer faithfulness does not only increase their chances of returning but also reappearing with other users. This occurs when the tourist recommends the destination frequently thus maintaining its appearance in the visage of other potential consumers. This means that increased customer satisfaction plays two major purposes. First, it upsurges their chances of returning to the destination for more products and second it amplifies the clientele base of the premises.
Tourist’s choice of a destination is determined by various factors as hinted in the aforementioned points of arguments. The general image of the destination and the level of consummation generated from the previous visit can either embolden or discourage consumer’s intent to use initial amenity. A thrilling general picture of the facility as well as its appealing nature to the eyes of the consumer will substantively dictate whether he or she will consider the destination again in future when making decisions. The two variables evidently impact on the tourist’s loyalty and faithfulness and thus their influence in the decision-making process.
Infrequent visitor entrances often lead to an occurrence commonly called tourism crisis. These downturns greatly affect the business’s normal activities and can at times destroy its reputation. In fact, persistent decrease in customer arrivals can lead to a termination of the business operations due to the huge losses realized with minimal or no returns. Thus, it is important for all service providers to strive harder to maintain an outstanding destination image.
This field has attracted attention of many researchers and it has been proven that in spite of the knowledge gained, negative image is still a challenge for various service providers around the world. For them promoting a commendable destination image in ordinary circumstances where globalization among other factors such as competitions is taking root is almost impossible.
