Service Quality Evaluation of Ancient City Scenic Spots Based on Tourists' Perceptions: An Example of Qingzhou Ancient
Purpose: With the increasing number of ancient cities and towns in China and the fierce competition in the operating environment, managers of scenic spots are aware of the need to maintain high standards of service quality in order to survive. This study uses the SERVQUAL model, modified as the Ancient Town Tourism Service Quality Model, to measure the gap between the perceived and expected service quality of tourists in the context of ancient town scenic areas. The Qingzhou Ancient City Scenic Area is used as a case study because it is rated high among ancient city scenic areas in China. The impact of the dimensions of the model on visitor satisfaction is also investigated.
Research methods: Quantitative research methods, including questionnaire survey and statistical analysis.
Findings: The results show that tourists expressed average satisfaction with the overall service of the ancient city scenic spots. Of the six dimensions of the model, 'historical and cultural', 'assurance' and 'empathy' are the key predictors of visitor satisfaction. The findings are discussed and management implications are elaborated.
Limitations: The framework of indicators developed may have limitations and needs further validation and revision. The statistical data and questionnaires, which do not have a large enough sample size and are more limited in scope, may lead to shortcomings in the generalisability of the analysis.
Practical significance: The construction of a tourism service quality evaluation model for the ancient city, combined with the results of the analysis of service quality in the ancient city of Qingzhou, can promote the scientific management of tourism service quality in the ancient city, improve the quality of tourism services in the ancient city, enhance the competitiveness of tourism in the ancient city, and promote the sustainable development of tourism.
Originality: from the perspective of tourists' service perception, this is the first paper to study the service quality evaluation of the ancient city of Qingzhou tourism scenic spot.