Tourists′ Perceptions of Service in Shops:

Abstract

Presents the results of an exploratory study on Japanese tourists′ perceptions of service quality in Australian shops. Eight areas of service were examined: the shop assistants′ friendliness, politeness, information giving, helpfulness, concern about customers, ability to speak Japanese, ability to wrap goods, and financial exploitation. It was found that in four out of eight areas of service – information giving, helpfulness, concern about tourists′ needs and ability to speak the Japanese language‐there were significant differences between tourists′ pre‐travel expectations and post‐travel perceptions of service. Explores the implications of these findings for the retail sector and outlines recommendations.