Improving the tourism industry based on tourist satisfaction in sri lanka: Special reference to chinese tourists

Abstract

Tourist satisfaction with destinations is one of the essential driving elements in the tourism industry's development, since satisfied tourists are more likely to revisit scenic spots and satisfy tourists’ travel advice attracts new visits to the spots. However, there is a lack of research related to the investigation of tourist satisfaction of Chinese tourists, the second largest source of visitors in Sri Lanka, and corresponding specified measures to attract more tourists, proposed by sorting out statistics obtained in the investigation. Therefore, this study attempted to measure the importance and performance of Sri Lankan destination attributes by employing Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method, in order to explore Chinese arrivals’ tourist satisfaction and identify the main influencing factors, then, identifying the primary areas for improvement within the country’s tourism sector. The study was carried out as mixed-method research. The researcher used stratified random sampling followed by the simple random sampling method. The researcher used the simple random sampling method and selected 100 from the population as the sample size. Relevant primary and secondary data were collected through questionnaires, interviews, annual statistical reports and other literature on the subject with the concentration to answer the research questions. The survey of 100 Chinese tourists showed that transportation, accommodation and 9 factors including 24 projects, influenced the tourist satisfaction strongly. According to the IPA index, transportation smoothness, professional staff quality and 10 projects were identified as the weakness of influencing factors. The IPA grid indicated that transportation smoothness, the Chinese language level and 5 projects fell into the ‘Concentrate Here’ quadrant, requiring immediate managerial intervention. Overall, the findings show that the Chinese tourists were very satisfied with hospitality and Sri Lanka’s natural beautiful environment vital to attracting more visitors. This research will provide a model and reference for further research or study on tourists from other countries to Sri Lanka.