Visitor preferences and satisfaction in Attica zoological park, Greece

Paraskevi Karanikola,Thomas Panagopoulos,Stilianos Tampakis,Antonios Tampakis

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04935

Paraskevi Karanikola, Thomas Panagopoulos + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04935

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Abstract

In an increasingly competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors' demands and levels of satisfaction. Currently, in Greece, there are two public and one private zoo. The Attica zoological park located in Athens has the most extensive collection of animals from all over the world. At the same time, the two public zoos serve a double purpose as zoos and peri-urban parks. A self-administered questionnaire was designed to determine the views and attitudes of the visitors in both public and private zoos of Greece. A total of 707 questionnaires were collected in Attika Park during the weekends of 2017. According to the results, the visitors were mainly middle-aged and highly educated with their motivation for their visits focused on entertainment. They visit the Park mostly in springtime, traveling mainly by car and covering distances of 5–50 km. As regards the quality of infrastructure, facilities, and services available at the zoo, the visitors of Attica Park found access to the area and security provided at the site as very satisfactory. At the same time, they consider that the animal's living conditions, their hygiene, and the existence of shelters for injured animals to be adequate. The overall satisfaction with the outdoor recreation experience and satisfaction with the existing park facilities and services was higher at the Attica Zoological Park (91.1%) than in the two public zoos of Greece. The results of this work provide lessons that will improve zoo management, animal welfare, and sustain the flow of visitors.

Highlights

Zoos bring people closer to nature through education and by creating environments that immerse visitors into the natural environment
Satisfaction is an essential indicator of tourist experiences while participating in tourism activities (Chi and Qu, 2008), and overall satisfaction is the evaluation based on the overall consumption experience of a good or service
The profile of visitors and their motivations to visit Attica zoo were examined in order to assist Park management

Summary

Introduction

Zoos bring people closer to nature through education and by creating environments that immerse visitors into the natural environment. A modern zoo is known as a site of animal conservation, environmental education, research, and especially entertainment (Carr and Cohen, 2011; Ballantyne et al, 2018). In a competitive tourism market, it is essential to assess visitors’ motivations and levels of satisfaction (Barbeitos et al, 2014). Motivation occurs when an activity satisfies some kind of need (Goossens, 2000). Satisfaction is an essential indicator of tourist experiences while participating in tourism activities (Chi and Qu, 2008), and overall satisfaction is the evaluation based on the overall consumption experience of a good or service. In order to be successful in the market, it is not sufficient to attract new customers, and managers must retain existing customers implementing effective policies of customer satisfaction and loyalty (Dominici and Guzzo, 2010)

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