Service quality measurement in rural tourism: Application of RURALQUAL model

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate service quality and its relation to customer satisfaction, trust, and behavioural intentions of rural tourism by applying the modified ruralqual model derived from the original servqual model. The survey was conducted on a sample of 307 rural tourists in Croatia. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (pls-sem) was applied in order to analyse the relationship between the measured constructs. The modified ruralqual model has been proven as a reliable and valid multidimensional scale that includes 27 items divided into 5 dimensions. Results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between Service quality and Satisfaction as antecedents to Loyalty. The role of Trust as a mediator between Satisfaction and Loyalty has been proven, but its mediation power is rather small. Research results indicate that rural tourism managers and owners paid more attention to the tangible service quality elements, but in order to improve overall tourist experience in the future, they should pay more attention to the intangible service quality elements. The modified ruralqual instrument should be periodically used as a tool by practitioners and managers for the future development of rural tourism.