An investigation into the influence of the benefits sought by visitors on their quality evaluation of historic houses’ service provision

The conceptualisation of satisfaction and quality in tourism consumption has always been the object of an unresolved debate questioning whether satisfaction should be evaluated upon the achievement of psychological/emotional needs or on its utilitarian/quality components. The paper details a study which combines both these approaches with the aim of clarifying how an understanding of tourists’ motivations can provide a better appreciation of their quality evaluations. Results show that when subdividing consumers along their motivational profiles, a clearer evaluation of quality perception is achieved: each segment displays different quality perceptions of the service offered and the relative importance attached to various quality dimensions also differs. The study concludes that an understanding of quality evaluations can be greatly enhanced by segmenting consumers rather than assuming that all consumers have similar quality perceptions and prioritisation. It also confirms that consumers’ quality perceptions are influenced by both utilitarian and psychological components, thereby justifying the necessity for a multidisciplinary approach to tourist quality conceptualisation and measurement.