Service quality in the tourism industry receives increasing attention in the literature and yet confusion still exists as to which measure offers the greatest validity. The two main research instruments are Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and SERVQUAL.However, both measures have been questioned and research has introduced measures that multiply SERVQUAL by Importance, as well a measure of just performance (SERVPERF). This paper assesses these four main methods of measuring customer service quality. The data were obtained in co-operation with a major UK tour operator. 220 respondents completed a questionnaire before departure on what elements were important to them and what their expectations were for these elements. Then towards the end of their holiday respondents were issued with a second questionnaire measuring performance on the same elements. The research found that although there was variety in the rankings of the 13 different elements, there was no statistical difference between the four methodologies. The final section of the paper considers the implications of this finding for tourism managers and future research in the area of service quality.

The objectives of this study were to understand the factors that influence travel agency recommendations in the U.K. The objectives were achieved using a mixture of focus groups, interviews and Mystery Shoppers. Exploration into the process of choosing a holiday showed that the brochure plays an important role for many consumers.However, for the travel agent the brochure is low priority, and even when the brochure is used, the travel agent often has a considerable amount of influence. Whether or not the agency is vertically integrated has considerable influence on the recommendation process. Based on analysis of the interviews and focus groups, a model was developed, and tested using Mystery Shoppers. Results from investigating 156 travel agents across the U.K. indicate that many travel agents owned by large tour operators, will attempt to push the holidays of their parent company rather than give impartial advise to consumers.Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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This chapter first presents an overview of marketing/applied research in tourism and hospitality. It then assesses the four main methods of measuring customer service quality (importance performance analysis (IPA), SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, and SERVQUAL × Importance), and then in a case study, compares these methods by measuring service quality for a medium-sized UK tour operator. The findings suggest that the service quality measurements of IPA, SERVQUAL and SERVPERF do not produce statistically different results, and that the SERVQUAL formula that factors in importance requires more extensive field trials.