Measuring employee-tourist encounter experience value: A big data analytics approach

Abstract

This paper takes a text analytics approach to measuring dimensions of employee-visitor encounters that impact on visitor outcomes. A conceptual model measuring dimensions of employee-tourist encounters is implemented using a big data analytics approach more suited to large-scale online review data than the traditional, limited survey approach. Using a dictionary-based measurement approach and a large sample of reviews for hotels (n = 265,016), we test the model and the importance of the factors for leveraging perceptions of satisfaction, service and value. The results demonstrate the importance of the different dimensions of experiential value in employee-tourist encounters in creating positive tourist perceptions. This knowledge is crucial for tourism companies aiming to create experiential value for visitors, rather than simply delivering service quality.