The paper by Godovykh and Tasci (2020) provides a comprehensive review of the concept of customer experience in tourism, exploring its definitions, components, and measurements. The study aims to clarify the often ambiguous and overlapping definitions of customer experience by reviewing various perspectives from existing literature. It emphasizes that understanding customer experience is crucial for tourism management and marketing, as it directly influences customer satisfaction, loyalty, and overall business success.
Components of Customer Experience
The authors identify several key components that make up customer experience in tourism. These include cognitive, emotional, sensory, and social elements that interact to create the overall experience. The study suggests that a holistic view of these components is necessary to fully capture the richness of customer experiences, which are influenced by both the physical environment and the interpersonal interactions during the tourism process.
Challenges in Measuring Experience
One of the significant challenges highlighted in the paper is the measurement of customer experience. Traditional methods, such as surveys and questionnaires, often fall short of capturing the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of experiences. The authors advocate for the development of more sophisticated tools and methods that can assess the experiential aspects of tourism more accurately, including real-time data collection and advanced analytics.
Importance for Tourism Industry
The review underscores the importance of understanding and managing customer experience for the tourism industry. By effectively measuring and enhancing customer experiences, tourism businesses can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to competitive advantages. The paper also discusses how customer experience management can help in designing better products, services, and marketing strategies tailored to meet the evolving needs of tourists.
Future Research Directions
The study concludes by highlighting gaps in the existing literature and suggesting directions for future research. The authors call for more empirical studies that investigate the specific components of customer experience in different tourism contexts. They also encourage researchers to explore the relationships between customer experience and other factors, such as technology use, cultural differences, and environmental sustainability.
Reference: Godovykh, M., & Tasci, A. D. (2020). Customer experience in tourism: A review of definitions, components, and measurements. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100694
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