Measuring perception of service quality of Serbian rural tourism using RURALQUAL scale

Authors

  • Goran Perić Academy of Professional Studies South Serbia, Department of Business Studies Blace
  • Sandra Dramićanin University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja
  • Ace Milenkovski University of Tourism and Management, Skopje, North Macedonia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5937/bizinfo2001001P

Keywords:

service quality, perception, rural tourism, RURALQUAL

Abstract

The aim of this research is to measure the perception of services quality in rural tourism in the Republic of Serbia using the RURALQUAL scale, and to determine its factor structure as well. The research was conducted during January and February 2020, using the questionnaire technique, on a sample of 298 respondents. The findings of the descriptive statistical analysis indicate a high assessment of the perception of service quality in rural tourism in the Republic of Serbia, while professionalism and basic advantages were singled out as the most important dimensions of service quality. The assessment of the perception of the actually provided service is the lowest for the tangibility dimension. The principal components analysis singled out three factors that explain 57.87% of the variance. The principal components analysis findings, after rotation produced a clear factor structure with relatively high loading and minimal item overlap, indicating factor independence. Factors are marked as: professionalism and basic benefits; tangibility and reservation; complementary benefits and environment. Therefore, measuring the perception of service quality through the RURALQUAL scale can help owners of rural tourist lodgings in obtaining feedback on the quality service provided, in order to implement an adequate strategy to improve the quality of services in rural tourism. Research limitations are presented and recommendations for future research are given.

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Published

2020-06-30

How to Cite

Perić , G., Dramićanin , S., & Milenkovski , A. (2020). Measuring perception of service quality of Serbian rural tourism using RURALQUAL scale. BizInfo (Blace) Journal of Economics, Management and Informatics, 11(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.5937/bizinfo2001001P

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