Abstract
Firms aim at achieving their economic interests without neglecting the needs of local and regional communities and the environment itself. The process involves defining and implementing Social Responsibility strategies that leverage organizational competitiveness and sustainability. In this context, the current study purposes to demonstrate how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and a sustainable orientation influence the satisfaction and loyalty of academic tourists to the Metro of Porto (in Portugal). More specifically, our study aims to assess the satisfaction of academic tourists with the Metro of Porto and, additionally, to analyze the variables that determine the satisfaction and loyalty of these tourists to this specific transport company, which has never been achieved before. Our proposed research model seeks to determine how CSR and a sustainable orientation influence academic tourists’ loyalty to the Metro of Porto transport services as well as their link to Service Quality, Perceived Value, Corporate Image and Tourist Satisfaction. From a sample of 256 academic tourists, customers of the Metro of Porto, a quantitative analysis was carried out using the structural equation model (SEM-PLS). The results obtained allow us to conclude that CSR and Service Quality have an impact on academic tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty to the Metro of Porto. The development of a region is intrinsically linked to transport networks that promote the integration and growth of productive systems. Our results demonstrate the relationship between regional development and business sustainability strategies that integrate Social Responsibility practices. We show the importance that Social Responsibility policies have for companies as a precursor to customer satisfaction and loyalty to a company. Hence, as a guarantee of obtaining economic results, firms must simultaneously contribute to the sustainable development of territories.
Highlights
Academic tourism is an important opportunity for the tourism industry and for the growth of academic knowledge [1]
Transport and mobility opportunities in tourist destinations are extremely relevant for academic tourism, especially as a result of the fact that transport can be considered as a primary factor in tourism [3]
The square of the standardized factorial weights designates the individual reliability of the item; this is appropriate if the value obtained is at least 0.25, which is verified in this study (Table 1)
Summary
Academic tourism is an important opportunity for the tourism industry and for the growth of academic knowledge [1]. The continued growth of academic tourism has provided opportunities for tour operators, as well as for educational service providers, so that students have become a potential source of long-term investments for destinations [2]. Transport and mobility opportunities in tourist destinations are extremely relevant for academic tourism, especially as a result of the fact that transport can be considered as a primary factor in tourism [3]. While academic tourism has been one of the fastest growing tourism alternatives in the tourism and travel industry over the past 40 years, this area has been ignored by tourism and marketing professionals [3]. Transport infrastructure provides the basis for transport services, this has been an often-overlooked element in the literature [9]
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