Abstract
The increasing role of the tourism industry in the global economy and the growing competition makes it necessary to ensure constant performance and continually improve quality. The paper draws attention to the necessity of conducting research on tourist attraction quality also in post-industrial areas which have become attractive tourist sites. It is emphasised that industrial tourism is a new yet quickly developing phenomenon in Poland, which compels managers to differentiate their service range and improve quality standards. The paper employs the SERVQUAL (SERvice QUALity) method to assess the quality of tourist services as a theoretical instrument to measure overall visitor satisfaction. The subject of the research was the Silesian Museum, which is result of reclamation and revitalisation of the inactive “Katowice” Hard Coal Mine. The article presents an empirical verification of the methodology which was modified for the purposes of the research subject. The Museum is considered to be one of the most important cultural centres and a crucial element of the social life of the Silesia region where mining activity has been carried out for centuries. Thirty young people from different continents participated in the survey. The results demonstrated that the expectations of the visitors were not met in three cases only which suggests a very high quality of the Silesian Museum. Moreover, the presented results show increasing capabilities and opportunities to maintain a high quality of services in the studied facility. The findings indicate that the appropriately modified SERVQUAL methodology is a valuable and simple tool to evaluate visitor satisfaction. The results of the evaluation of the Silesian Museum services will be presented to the facility managers. Further research will be carried out after the improvement and implementation of the next stage of the Museum’s development.
Highlights
The expansion and diversification of the tourism industry make it the fastest growing sector of the global economy [1]
The aim of the study is to verify the SERVQUAL method as a tool for assessing the quality of tourist attractions and to assess Silesian Museum, which is subject of the study
The survey demonstrated that the Silesian Museum, as a tourist attraction, provides its visitors with great satisfaction
Summary
The expansion and diversification of the tourism industry make it the fastest growing sector of the global economy [1]. Due to the highly competitive market, managers of tourist attractions must face the growing requirements of tourists and visitors [4]. This is especially true of domestic tourism on which the tourist traffic in 2020 is currently based. More and more demanding tourists are expected to shape approaches to offerings Those tourist attractions which do not stand out will give way to those characterised by greater authenticity, educational value, emotional experience, and high standards. In this context, brownfield sites and the right approach to their reclamation and
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have