Naslov
An exploratory study on rural destination quality and behavioral intentions amid the covid-19 pandemic

Autori
Gulić, Ana ; Pranić, Ljudevit

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u zbornicima skupova, cjeloviti rad (in extenso), znanstveni

Izvornik
5th International Rural Tourism Congress „Rural Tourism: Quality, Sustainability, Inclusiveness – Congress Proceedings“ / Tubić, Dejan ; Bakan, Rikard ; Pleša Puljić, Nikolina - Virovitica i Zagreb : Veleučilište u Virovitici i Hrvatska udruga za turizam i ruralni razvoj "Klub članova selo”, 2022, 19-31

ISBN
978-953-8028-17-5

Skup
5th International Rural Tourism Congress „Rural Tourism: Quality, Sustainability, Inclusiveness“

Mjesto i datum
Cavtat, Hrvatska, 27.04.2022. - 30.04.2022

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Recenziran

Ključne riječi
Rural tourism ; Loyalty ; Destination service quality ; Destination natural quality ; Croatia

Sažetak
As physical distancing and international travel restrictions in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak have forced an unprecedented number of people to remain in or near their place of residence, the access to nature and the hinterlands has become a longed-for luxury for many. Despite the resulting increase in interest from tourists wanting to visit the countryside, there is a paucity of research on tourist perceptions and behaviors in rural areas amid the pandemic. To fill this research gap, the goals of this exploratory study are to examine (1) tourists’ perceptions of destination quality (DQ) in Croatia’s rural Cetina Region, (2) the effects of perceived DQ on the two dimensions of visitor loyalty, and (3) the effects of visitor demographics on perceived DQ. Based on the Tosun et al.’s (2015) model of DQ, this study explores destination service quality (DSQ) and destination natural quality (DNQ). Moreover, while the loyalty construct includes behavioral (revisit intentions) and attitudinal (word-of-mouth intentions) perspectives, demographics include gender, age, education, country of origin, marital status, and employment status. Spearman’s correlation and multiple regression were employed to analyze the visitor data collected via a self- administered questionnaire written in Croatian and English. The results indicate that rural visitors’ behavioral intentions are primarily driven by the quality of destination’s natural attributes, with service attributes taking a back seat in such context. Additionally, country of origin plays an important role in DQ perceptions. The study ends with theoretical and practical implications of the results, limitations, and suggestions for future research.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Ekonomija

POVEZANOST RADA