Enhancing tourist transport service experience: factors influencing customer satisfaction

Abstract

Transportation accounts for a significant portion of tourism services, and improving its quality directly translates into improved overall tourism service quality. Many scientists have proven in their research that transport and tourism services play a significant role in the country's economic development. Transportation services offered to tourists are diverse, with transfers being the most common. The number of transfer service providers is growing daily, and competition among them is fierce. The main goal of our study was to improve the performance of transportation service providers for tourists. To this end, we analyzed the factors influencing customers' choice of transfer services.

During the study, we collected opinions from over 400 respondents via a questionnaire. Based on this, we selected factors that influence customer choice. By assigning each factor a rating on a 5-point scale, we determined which factor plays the most significant role in the choice process. According to the study, the two most influential factors in customer choice are "safety" and "driver competence." The gender, age, purpose of travel, and place of origin were also studied separately. This is the basis for analyzing which customer types the company should focus its marketing on. Also, to make the research more powerful, the analysis was conducted between two companies, and their results were analyzed. According to it, the company with better driver treatment had a higher percentage of customers re-selecting the service, even though the service price was higher than that of the second company. We also analyzed the relationships between these factors. The results of this study will be useful for the company's efforts to increase customer acquisition, increase repeat customer retention, and develop future plans.

Based on the research findings, we developed measures for companies to implement. Since the management systems and organizational structures of transfer service providers are largely similar, we believe the research conducted at these two companies will be useful for other companies as well.

Kay words: tourism, travel, transport, transfer