Tourism Services and Distribution Management
In the modern day the issue of tourism services and
distribution channels management has received much more interest than in the
past especially from researchers and other relevant stakeholders. The most
fundamental components in any marketing procedures, the tourism industry
included, are the distribution channels that are utilized to ensure commerce
efficacy. Despite the distribution
channels being very significant due to their capacity of heightening a
company’s competitiveness and productivity, the main reason for the renewed
interest has been tied to the objectives of making available relevant data to
tourists as well as enabling them other interested parties to book for space, accommodation
or travel as they plan for their tourist voyages. In order to provide
satisfactory services and products to consumers in the tourism industry, it is
necessary that the gaps and discrepancies that exist between what the customer
is presented with and what they had expected of their touristic experiences be
identified and dealt with effectively. Nevertheless, it should be noted that it
is not easy to come up with a workable model of measurement for service
delivery in the tourism industry. This is due to the fact that tourism is a
sector in which there exists interplay of variant dynamics and needs such as
the tourists’ needs to be informed, entertained and at the same time have fun
while rediscovering themselves.
There a variety of players who are very significant in the
tourism distribution channels; these include tour operators, reservationists,
travel executives as well as charter negotiators.
In the past few years, there have occurred several transformations in
the tourist and hotel management industries; firstly, as a result of the
changing clientele needs, there has been an increased utilization of online
tourism services particularly when it comes to issues of booking. This coupled
with the fact that there are a variety of financially viable flights which are
operating in the tourist industry has encourage a number of tourists to
personally organize their own voyages rather than seek the services of
intermediaries or distribution channels. Consequently, many players in the
tourism sector have realized that there is an urgent need to shift focus from
the classical vertically incorporated service models to other more effective
structures (Pearce and Schott, 2005).
There are a variety of definitions that have been presented
by scholars in their attempts to disambiguate the term ‘distribution channels’
in tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization (1975) a distribution
channel may be referred to as the collusion of two or more go-betweens whose
activities are aimed at the eventual sale of a finished product or service. A
group of more than two distribution channels is referred to as a distribution
system; in the tourism industry, it is not unheard of to find a distribution
system which is comprised of several distribution channels, some of which
interests may at times be in conflict. A viable definition of a distribution
channel is that it is a structure comprised of go-betweens whose aim is to
establish new markets through the congregation sellers and purchasers, or
increase the efficacy of already existent markets with the aim of making
commerce more effective. Unlike in other industries where the clientele pool
may opt to deal directly with the producers of a particular service or good of
interest, distribution channels are particularly important in the tourism
industry.
According
to Buhalis (2000) there are a variety of functions that are fulfilled by
tourism industrial channels. Firstly the distribution channels bring about a
certain habitual manner of operation in the tourist markets and subsequently
lessen the expenditure involved in distribution; in addition to this, such
channels make the work of service providers as well as consumers much easier
due to the fact that they already have a precise idea of what it is that the
tourists need or products and services in the tourism industry in a manner that
is both attractive and suitable to the needs of consumers. Wynne et al (2001)
asserts that distribution channels in the tourism industry are also significant
as they evaluate the quality of services and products available to consumers as
well as negotiating for more competitive prices; the channels thus manage the
demand and supply elements in the tourism industry. As intermediaries between
the suppliers and consumers, distribution channels have the capacity to
effectively manage complaints from either side as well as lessening the
consumer risks associated with such activities. Through a myriad of different
techniques, these intermediaries are able to present consumers with adequate
information about the packages on offer so as to guide them in making
appropriate and cost friendly decisions about their intended tours.
In analyzing tourism services it is important to note that
there are a variety of service measurement models that may be applied in the
effort to improve the services and products that consumers are presented with
in the markets. According to Antilgan et al (2003) one feasible model in the measurement
of tourism service quality is one in which correspondence analysis (CA) is
utilized in collaboration with SERVQUAL data or scale. Consumers in the tourism
industry are perceived as evaluating the aspects of understanding,
dependability, sensitivity as well as assurance and existent tangibles in order
to determine whether or not the services they are presented with are of
superior quality or not. According to Zeithmal and Bitner (2000) the most
fundamental of these five is the dependability variable. SERVQUAL is the
instrument through which the discrepancies existent between consumer
anticipations and perceptions may be measured, with the five mentioned
variables being utilized as generic components. In a variety of research
studies conducted to evaluate the feasibility of such a method in measuring
tourism service delivery quality, Antilgan et al (2003), assert that the
correspondence and SERVQUAL model is very effective in enabling tourism
managers to assess the pos and cons of their business strategies as well as in
the formulation of more viable tourism policies to ensure consumer
satisfaction.
Parasuraman et al (1985) came up with the Conceptual Model
of Service Quality, also commonly referred to as the Gap Model, which is very
effective in the measurement of and improvement of the services offered to
consumers in the tourism industry. The objective of the model is to
disambiguate the cracks that are present in the services expected in relation
to those received by the consumers; this is done by conducting a thorough
investigation of the different stages of service processes that are found in
the tourism industry. According to Kapoor (2011) the first phase in which a gap
is perceived is in the discrepancies that exist between the anticipations of
the consumer in contrast to the knowledge and comprehension of the service
providers. It is the responsibility of the service providers to identify the
clientele’s needs and incorporate them in the process of presenting them with quality
services. Secondly, a gap may exist as a result of disharmony between the
business principles and standards of the service provider and the perceived
consumer expectations. This usually occurs in the event that the service
standards expected by the consumers are higher than those that the service
providers are willing to provide, either deliberately or due to deficiency in
the necessary resources.
Thirdly, Parasuraman et al (1985), in the Gap Model, imply
that despite the standards of a service provider being at par with the
expectations of the consumer, the structures of service delivery may interfere
with the quality of services that customers are presented with; this is mostly
due to poor customer care services and a hostile or indifferent attitude from
the delivery work force. A Gap in the quality of service presented to the
customer may also arise due to a mismatch between the promises or commitments
made by the service providers to the consumers and the actual services that
they deliver. The external correspondence between the provider and the consumer
thus ends up in a gap which interferes with the quality of service. The gap as
a result of discrepancies between the consumer’s anticipations, the
comprehension of the service providers and the services that are ultimately
delivered to the consumer arises when the service providers have not put in
place the necessary mechanisms or apparatus to ensure quality services.
According to the United States et al (1999) another method
that is commonly used in the measurement of service quality presented to
consumers in the tourist industry is the Quadrant analysis method. This model
is inclined towards the investigation of different measures of customer
satisfaction and then depicting them on a graph according to their importance
or how much satisfaction they bring to the consumer. The two major quadrants in
this model are the weakness and strength quadrants. The shortcomings of this
method are evidenced in its inability to consider the discrepancies in elements
rating as well as in the arbitrariness of the quadrant divisions. Although this
model is very effective in highlighting the attributes that are esteemed by
consumers in the tourism industry, the influences of the attributes on consumer
satisfaction are not established clearly.
As stated by Kapoor (2011), despite the fact that both the
Gap and SERVQUAL models are designed to discover weaknesses in the mechanisms
of tourism service provision with the aim of effectively redressing them, the
Gap Model seems to be the model best suited for application in the measurement
of service quality. This is due to the fact that, as stated by Zeithmal and
Bitner (2000), the CA and SERVQUAL model faces difficulties when it comes to
presenting practitioners with accurate distances between the different elements
and variables of service delivery quality. For the CA and SERVQUAL model to be
effective, therefore, it has to be used in collaboration with a myriad of other
methodologies; apart from leading to time wastage, this may also lower the
precision of conclusive outcomes. The Gap model, on the other hand, is very
effective as it allows for the service providers to identify the weaknesses in
their business strategies and deal with them effectively so as to ensure
customer satisfaction. The gap model is also very successful when it comes to
enabling organizations to realize efficacy and quality of their management
structures so as to ensure delivery of quality services to consumers (Pearce
and Schott, 2005).
In conclusion, despite the preeminence that has been given
to the issue of quality in service provision in the tourism industry, it should
be noted that it is not an easy feat to achieve. As already discussed there are
a variety of reasons why the service quality delivered by service provider is
perceived as wanting by the consumers; firstly, the structures of service
delivery may interfere with the quality of services that customers are
presented with; this is mostly due to poor customer care services and a hostile
or indifferent attitude from the delivery work force. Secondly, discrepancies
may exist between the anticipations of the consumer and the comprehension of
the service providers. Existence of disharmony between the business principles
and standards of the service provider and the perceived consumer expectations
may also erode the quality of services.
It is therefore the responsibility of the relevant share
and stakeholders in the industry to come up with a feasible model for the
measurement of quality so as to discover the areas of weaknesses early enough
and deal with them efficiently. Although a variety of models are in existence,
this essay has been successful in the depiction of factors that make the Gap
model a suitable for application in the contemporary tourism industry.
Bibliography
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