Abstract
This study attempts to explore the role of certification bodies on the formation of customer behavioral intentions. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from hotel customers in Spain. The results of the structural equation modeling indicate that a certified hotel’s image will positively influence stay intention and willingness to pay a premium. At the same time, awareness of, and trust in, certification bodies both have a positive effect on a certified hotel’s image. Finally, awareness of certification bodies also exerts a positive effect on trust in certification bodies. The results offer hoteliers potential strategies for customer behavioral intentions enhancement.
Highlights
In the context of the tourism industry, where intangibility makes decision-making difficult for the customer, quality standards as a market signal are truly relevant [1], enhancing long-term innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability for tourism destinations and organizations [2]
The aim of the present study is to develop a model to explain the formation of customer behavioral intentions related to the image of a certified hotel, focusing on the central roles of the awareness of certification companies, and the trust in their signals of quality, as key determinants of a hotel’s image
The metrics used in this case are from EQS 6.1, which is widely used in the SEM literature [77]: Bentler–Bonett normed fit index (BBNFI), Bentler–Bonett non-normed fit index (BBNNFI), and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) for overall model fit; incremental fit index (IFI) and comparative fit index (CFI)
Summary
In the context of the tourism industry, where intangibility makes decision-making difficult for the customer, quality standards as a market signal are truly relevant [1], enhancing long-term innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability for tourism destinations and organizations [2]. There is an increasing importance of sustainability in tourism and the need for new insights into how to improve competitiveness in the tourism sector as a whole [3]. Recent research in the field of tourism has highlighted the link between quality and sustainability of destinations, in terms of both management and customers’ perceptions [4,5]. Organizations must devise new quality management systems based on the principles of continuous improvement [7], due to their benefits on organizational performance. In the specific field of tourism, different authors have supported the effect of quality certifications as a source of competitive advantage and its impact on the performance of hotels [10,11]
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