Publication: Normative versus perceptual gap analysis of hotel product quality as a service to tourism in Kenya
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David Publishing
Abstract
Kenya’s tourism business stagnated from 1991 to 2003 and only registered small but steady grew from 2004. One of the sectors that recorded poor performance as a result of the slow growth of tourism isthe hotel business. Despite this slack, stakeholders in Kenya have not tried to assess the extent to which the quality of this sector may impact on destination preference. The ultimate purpose of this research was to establish the quality gap between the expected and the perceived hotel product/service quality from both the perspective of the tourists and the hotel operators in Kenya. It was motivated by the need to create parameters that can elavate the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism using the hotel product/service quality offer. Descriptive quantitative research design was used to establish the secondary objectives and to assess two propositions set for the study. A sample of 211 tourists and 19 hotel operators in two major tourist provinces of Kenya was used to obtain information regarding normative and perceptive hotel product/service quality. Kenya’s only destination marketing organisation, Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) marketers were also surveyed to provide insight on Kenya’s destination position with regard to the motivation of tourists to visit Kenya. The study established that although the attractions which make tourists come to Kenya are the unique wildlife safari, beach tourism and the natural scenery, hotel product quality and hospitality plays a vital role in motivating touriststo choose Kenya as the destination tovisit. However, this study found out that while the tourists and hotel operators agree on the normative hotel product quality level, there is a significant gap between the normative quality and the perceptual quality registered by tourists who used hotel services. The study established that hotel operators only recognize quality regulatory institutions with statutory and legal authority to incriminate facilities that do not comply withlaid down operational requirements such as Hotels and Restaurants Authority and the Local Authority Public Health Department. The study has proposed an integrated framework that may be utilized to build a superior national hotel product/service quality so that the economic potential of tourism is maximized in Kenya.
Kenya’s tourism business stagnated from 1991 to 2003 and only registered small but steady grew from 2004. One of the sectors that recorded poor performance as a result of the slow growth of tourism isthe hotel business. Despite this slack, stakeholders in Kenya have not tried to assess the extent to which the quality of this sector may impact on destination preference. The ultimate purpose of this research was to establish the quality gap between the expected and the perceived hotel product/service quality from both the perspective of the tourists and the hotel operators in Kenya. It was motivated by the need to create parameters that can elavate the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism using the hotel product/service quality offer. Descriptive quantitative research design was used to establish the secondary objectives and to assess two propositions set for the study. A sample of 211 tourists and 19 hotel operators in two major tourist provinces of Kenya was used to obtain information regarding normative and perceptive hotel product/service quality. Kenya’s only destination marketing organisation, Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) marketers were also surveyed to provide insight on Kenya’s destination position with regard to the motivation of tourists to visit Kenya. The study established that although the attractions which make tourists come to Kenya are the unique wildlife safari, beach tourism and the natural scenery, hotel product quality and hospitality plays a vital role in motivating touriststo choose Kenya as the destination tovisit. However, this study found out that while the tourists and hotel operators agree on the normative hotel product quality level, there is a significant gap between the normative quality and the perceptual quality registered by tourists who used hotel services. The study established that hotel operators only recognize quality regulatory institutions with statutory and legal authority to incriminate facilities that do not comply withlaid down operational requirements such as Hotels and Restaurants Authority and the Local Authority Public Health Department. The study has proposed an integrated framework that may be utilized to build a superior national hotel product/service quality so that the economic potential of tourism is maximized in Kenya.
Kenya’s tourism business stagnated from 1991 to 2003 and only registered small but steady grew from 2004. One of the sectors that recorded poor performance as a result of the slow growth of tourism isthe hotel business. Despite this slack, stakeholders in Kenya have not tried to assess the extent to which the quality of this sector may impact on destination preference. The ultimate purpose of this research was to establish the quality gap between the expected and the perceived hotel product/service quality from both the perspective of the tourists and the hotel operators in Kenya. It was motivated by the need to create parameters that can elavate the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism using the hotel product/service quality offer. Descriptive quantitative research design was used to establish the secondary objectives and to assess two propositions set for the study. A sample of 211 tourists and 19 hotel operators in two major tourist provinces of Kenya was used to obtain information regarding normative and perceptive hotel product/service quality. Kenya’s only destination marketing organisation, Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) marketers were also surveyed to provide insight on Kenya’s destination position with regard to the motivation of tourists to visit Kenya. The study established that although the attractions which make tourists come to Kenya are the unique wildlife safari, beach tourism and the natural scenery, hotel product quality and hospitality plays a vital role in motivating touriststo choose Kenya as the destination tovisit. However, this study found out that while the tourists and hotel operators agree on the normative hotel product quality level, there is a significant gap between the normative quality and the perceptual quality registered by tourists who used hotel services. The study established that hotel operators only recognize quality regulatory institutions with statutory and legal authority to incriminate facilities that do not comply withlaid down operational requirements such as Hotels and Restaurants Authority and the Local Authority Public Health Department. The study has proposed an integrated framework that may be utilized to build a superior national hotel product/service quality so that the economic potential of tourism is maximized in Kenya.
Description
Chinese Business Review, ISSN 1537-1506 December 2011, Vol. 10, No. 12, 1091-1105
Kenya’s tourism business stagnated from 1991 to 2003 and only registered small but steady grew from 2004. One of the sectors that recorded poor performance as a result of the slow growth of tourism isthe hotel business. Despite this slack, stakeholders in Kenya have not tried to assess the extent to which the quality of this sector may impact on destination preference. The ultimate purpose of this research was to establish the quality gap between the expected and the perceived hotel product/service quality from both the perspective of the tourists and the hotel operators in Kenya. It was motivated by the need to create parameters that can elavate the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism using the hotel product/service quality offer. Descriptive quantitative research design was used to establish the secondary objectives and to assess two propositions set for the study. A sample of 211 tourists and 19 hotel operators in two major tourist provinces of Kenya was used to obtain information regarding normative and perceptive hotel product/service quality. Kenya’s only destination marketing organisation, Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) marketers were also surveyed to provide insight on Kenya’s destination position with regard to the motivation of tourists to visit Kenya. The study established that although the attractions which make tourists come to Kenya are the unique wildlife safari, beach tourism and the natural scenery, hotel product quality and hospitality plays a vital role in motivating touriststo choose Kenya as the destination tovisit. However, this study found out that while the tourists and hotel operators agree on the normative hotel product quality level, there is a significant gap between the normative quality and the perceptual quality registered by tourists who used hotel services. The study established that hotel operators only recognize quality regulatory institutions with statutory and legal authority to incriminate facilities that do not comply withlaid down operational requirements such as Hotels and Restaurants Authority and the Local Authority Public Health Department. The study has proposed an integrated framework that may be utilized to build a superior national hotel product/service quality so that the economic potential of tourism is maximized in Kenya.
Kenya’s tourism business stagnated from 1991 to 2003 and only registered small but steady grew from 2004. One of the sectors that recorded poor performance as a result of the slow growth of tourism isthe hotel business. Despite this slack, stakeholders in Kenya have not tried to assess the extent to which the quality of this sector may impact on destination preference. The ultimate purpose of this research was to establish the quality gap between the expected and the perceived hotel product/service quality from both the perspective of the tourists and the hotel operators in Kenya. It was motivated by the need to create parameters that can elavate the competitiveness of Kenya’s tourism using the hotel product/service quality offer. Descriptive quantitative research design was used to establish the secondary objectives and to assess two propositions set for the study. A sample of 211 tourists and 19 hotel operators in two major tourist provinces of Kenya was used to obtain information regarding normative and perceptive hotel product/service quality. Kenya’s only destination marketing organisation, Kenya Tourist Board (KTB) marketers were also surveyed to provide insight on Kenya’s destination position with regard to the motivation of tourists to visit Kenya. The study established that although the attractions which make tourists come to Kenya are the unique wildlife safari, beach tourism and the natural scenery, hotel product quality and hospitality plays a vital role in motivating touriststo choose Kenya as the destination tovisit. However, this study found out that while the tourists and hotel operators agree on the normative hotel product quality level, there is a significant gap between the normative quality and the perceptual quality registered by tourists who used hotel services. The study established that hotel operators only recognize quality regulatory institutions with statutory and legal authority to incriminate facilities that do not comply withlaid down operational requirements such as Hotels and Restaurants Authority and the Local Authority Public Health Department. The study has proposed an integrated framework that may be utilized to build a superior national hotel product/service quality so that the economic potential of tourism is maximized in Kenya.
Keywords
destination marketing, tourism, competitiveness, Kenya tourism, hotel product/service quality