EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF THE TOURIST SERVICE OFFERED TO FOREIGN TOURISTS IN THE CITY OF CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, COLOMBIA

Abstract

Purpose – The objective of this article is to evaluate the quality of tourism services in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from the perspective of foreign tourists arriving there, and to identify the elements that have the greatest influence on satisfaction and future behaviour, the latter expressed in the desire to return to enjoy the destination and/or recommend the city to third parties. Design – The paper proposes a Formative Type Model, where observable variables affect latent or structural variables. Five factors have been considered in this valuation: Tangibility, Reliability, Responsiveness, Security and Empathy. Methodology – The multivariate Partial Least Squares Regression technique is used, belonging to the set of methods of Structural Equation Systems. 390 surveys were applied to Spanish, English, and Italian-speaking international tourists, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, assuming an infinite population. Findings – The results show that international tourists intend to return to the destination and overall satisfaction was positive. Originality – The results of this study contribute to the scientific literature on new methods for evaluating the quality of tourism services, using analysis techniques that place the customer at the center of decision-making.

Keywords

• service quality
• satisfaction
• foreign tourists
• future behaviour
• structural equations model
• colombia