Does getting along matter?: Tourist-tourist rapport in guided group activities
2021 (English)In: Tourism Management, ISSN 0261-5177, E-ISSN 1879-3193, Vol. 87, p. 104381-, article id 104381Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Guided group activities, where tourists consume with other tourists, are common and important. Although the tourism and services literature suggests customer-employee rapport impacts customer satisfaction, the composition and impact of tourist-tourist rapport in guided group activities have received minimal attention. We use a three-study mixed method approach to conceptualize and examine tourist-tourist rapport in guided group activities. Study 1 identifies two recognized dyadic dimensions of tourist-tourist rapport (enjoyable interaction and personal connection) and two new group-based dimensions (group attentiveness and service congruity). Study 2 (video experiment) and Study 3 (field experiment) find that enjoyable interaction and personal connection mediate the relationship between group attentiveness and service congruity with satisfaction. Thus, touristtourist rapport in a group context is more multidimensional and complex than previously conceptualized for customer-employee rapport and non-group contexts. Further, we find tourist-tourist rapport is a critical service factor such that high levels satisfy, while low levels dissatisfy.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2021. Vol. 87, p. 104381-, article id 104381
Keywords [en]
rapport, tourist-tourist interactions, group services, guided group activities, service satisfaction, service congruity, group attentiveness
National Category
Business Administration
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-305328DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104381ISI: 000713714900015Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85109478249OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-305328DiVA, id: diva2:1615778
Note
QC 20211201
2021-12-012021-12-012024-03-15Bibliographically approved