The Link between Market Orientation and Customer Satisfaction in the Tourism Industry: A Situational Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This literature study provides a review of research in the fields of market orientation and customer satisfaction in the tourism industry. The objective of this research is to assess the link between market orientation, customer satisfaction and tourism business development in SubSaharan Africa. This link has not been studied in this region before and this research gives a situational analysis of the conducted research. The assumption supported in the literature is that market orientation promotes business performance, and ultimately improves customer satisfaction and loyalty to the products/services offered by the organization. Both market orientation and customer satisfaction are supposed to create value for customers. However, there are few studies of this kind in Africa and very few, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Studies linking market orientation to customer satisfaction are mainly in the form of consultancy reports and a few are academic in nature. The focus on tourism industry is due to its importance for the region. The tourism industry is fast growing, internationally competitive, generates foreign currency and creates employment. The findings are that no research has been conducted in the tourism industry in Sub-Saharan Africa linking market orientation to customer satisfaction.