Service quality of Macao's world heritage site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the service quality of Macao's World Heritage (WH) site as perceived by visitors involving both tourists and local residents.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data was collected via structured questionnaires to obtain views of 1,056 visitors on the 27 world heritage attractions in Macao.FindingsThe overall visitor satisfaction level on the service quality of Macao's WH was high but dimensions on “empathy” and “consumables” needed improvements. Significant differences were also found between the tourists and local residents. Tourists rated the level of crowding as more tolerable than local residents but less tolerable in terms of staff availability at attractions. Residents had a relatively low satisfaction score for most items except the availability of staff than the tourists.Practical implicationsTo attract more repeated visitors, the results highlighted the importance of satisfying both groups of visitors by taking special care of the needy and children and offering more on‐site information. Managing well with the city's tourism carrying capacity and providing more staff service were also suggested to satisfy the local and tourist markets respectively.Originality/valueStudies on service quality in heritage especially within the Macao context were scarce. This pioneering study shed light on the service quality of Macao's WH site and provided hints on the differences in the perceived service quality between the tourists and local residents. More specific government efforts can be exerted to satisfy the two niche markets in a more effective manner.