2013

How satisfied are Tourists at Mahabalipuram?

GROUP 5 Section 2

FT Number 14202 14215 14230 14242 14255 14270 14284 14297 142109

Name ABHINAV KAPOOR BHAVANA RAO ISHAN JAIN MONA KSHIRSAGAR RAHUL SHANBHAG SRINJOY PANDA ARAVIND N S RAHUL KHANNA PUNIT NEMA

Copyright Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, 2013 Prepared By Group 5, Section S2, PGPM 2013-14 Guided By Prof. S. Bharadhwaj
S. Bharadhwaj is currently Professor of Marketing. Prior to joining Great Lakes, he worked at Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras and Nanyang Business School, Singapore. His main research interests are in the areas of variety seeking behaviour, impulse buying behaviour and the effect of other marketing variables and phenomena on these behaviors. His secondary research interests are in search behaviour and integrated marketing communications. His work appears in leading journals like Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Management and Advances in Consumer Research. He teaches Marketing Research and Consumer Behaviour. S. Bharadhwaj holds a PhD in Marketing from the Robert Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, and College Park, USA. He has an MBA from BIM, Trichy and a BSc in Chemistry from Vivekananda College, Chennai.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Besides the members of our group, there have been a few individuals who have been instrumental in supporting and ensuring that the project is successful.

We would like to thank Professor Dr. S. Bharadhwaj (Chair Professor of Marketing) for his guidance at every step during questionnaire formation, data analysis and conceptual inputs. A special thanks to Nachiketas Sir for additional support during the project execution stages.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all respondents for their unwavering support, co-operation and precious inputs especially during the primary data collection stages. Their creative inputs and opinions were vital for the success of this project.

Introduction Mahabalipuram, also known as Mamallapuram is a town in Kancheepuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was a well established sea port during the 7th and 10th centuries of the Pallava dynasty, and has flourished accordingly.

Fast Facts State: Tamil Nadu District: Kancheepuram Famous for/as: Heritage, Beaches Languages: Tamil, English Best Season: Oct Mar Weather: Summer 21 to 41C, Winter 17 to 33C Altitude: 12 m

During the rule of the Pallavas, new styles of art and architecture were pioneered, but Tourist Attractions architecture is not the only draw for Major Shore Temple. tourists in this city. The area is also nestled Five Rathas (Pancha Pandava Rathas) Thirukadalmallai in an especially impressive setting. Sculpture Museum, Arjuna's Penance Beautiful white sandy beaches are Krishna's Butterball plentiful, as are the casuarinas trees that Mahishamardini Cave. Varaha Cave are found in abundance there. Light House Mahabalipuram is also known for providing a fantastic shopping experience. Exquisite local handmade crafts are readily available in the local shops. The concern of Tourism has assumed phenomenal significance in Mahabalipuram. It is the economic activity which provides services to the tourists including a whole gamut of activities like transport & hospitality; guide and travel services; travel publication and writers; arts and crafts, etc. In the present era of knowledge and innovations, the whole world has shrunk in size and all has happened because of spectacular advancement in the fields of travel and tele-communication. In simple terms, it may be defined as the sum of phenomena and relationship arising from the travel and stay of tourists at a particular place for duration of at least 24 hours. In case of study area, tourism possesses a huge potential and requires greater public attention. Throughout the entire state, in the last couple of years, it has been observed that the tourism is emerging as one of the fastest growing industries. In this paper, we try to find out what is it that drives satisfaction in tourist visiting Mahabalipuram. The intention of this study is to quantitatively analyze the different factors that influence satisfaction levels of tourist, thereby helping local traders to benefit by providing what is needed by tourist and helping tourist in getting what they want.

Literature Review According to world travel and tourism, India will be the second fastest growing tourist economy in the world. Tourists are willing to share their positive travel experiences with their near and dear ones.( Yoon and Uysal, 2005). The success of any destination marketing depends on tourist satisfaction because it affects the selection of the destination, the use of products and services and the decision to return (Kozak and Remington, 2000). According to Corrin and Taylor (1992), and Ekinci and Riley (1998) quality of various services is a part of the tourism experience, leading to overall satisfaction. An instrument called HOLSAT was developed by Tribe and Snaith (1998) to capture tourists satisfaction, which approaches satisfaction-related attributes through the use of expectations/performance analysis. In a highly competitive tourism market, to offer an attractive tourist destination implies having a deep understanding of the motives that lead tourists to make their choice among the different alternatives available, as well as having a degree of satisfaction obtained with the services provided (Jang & Feng, 2007). Very few studies have analyzed the causal relationship between tourist motivation and level of satisfaction with the aim of guiding tourist resort management (Prebensen, 2004; Yoon & Uysal, 2005). Components of the overall tourist satisfaction: Middleton and Clarke (2001) conducted that there are five main components in the overall product: 1. Destination attractions and environment. 2. Destination facilities and services. 3. Accessibility of the destination. 4. Images of the destination. 5. Price to the consumer K Lalromawia conducted a study on impact of marketing mix factors on tourist satisfaction amongst 300 tourists. This study evaluated 7Ps of Marketing Mix which has additional Ps on top of laid 4Ps of marketing mix. These marketing mix elements are product price place and promotion, the extra Ps added are People, Physical evidence and Promotion. As per the study price has no positive relationship with tourist attraction. While on the other hand except price remaining six elements have significant relationship with tourist satisfaction.

The findings also prove that Product has got the most significant relationship and Process is the second most significant element that this study reveals. Finally, the mean score of the tourist satisfaction is explained overall satisfaction of the tourist though shows dissatisfaction towards price. Tourist satisfaction can be used to measure competitive strength and weakness by determining tourist perception of competitive choice. In this study cost of the tourist performed as a sensitive element towards satisfaction and intention to revisit. So Price sensitivity for the cost of transportation, accommodation, quality food, coffee, and tea or other beverages and tour related cost can be determined as competitive factors for tourist organization. According to Herzberg (1966) two-factor theory of motivation all experiences can be classified as either a motivational or a hygienic factor. Motivational factors encourage people to do something viz. travel. For example, a desire to spend quality time with the family will motivate people to go on a tour. On the other hand, hygiene factors would not encourage a person to travel, but its absence would discourage such travel. A good example is the availability of clean drinking water. Having this is unlikely to encourage someone to travel, but its absence could discourage a person to not choose a particular destination. Roger James & Associates (1996) found that the absence of motivational factors does not lead to dissatisfaction but rather to satisfaction a sense of emptiness rather than a sense of anger or disappointment. On the other hand, the absence of a hygienic factor will lead to dissatisfaction. All studies till now have focused on the hygienic factors, which are represented by the measurement of how well the services (hotels, airports, travel companies, etc.) are provided. Without these hygiene factors the customer would be very dissatisfied. However, the motivational factors should also be measured. So therefore the focus should be to understand the tourists needs and develop a product offering that is relevant to them. The benefits derived from the experience will in turn create satisfaction.

Qualitative Analysis and Takeaways We conducted Focus Group discussion in order to determine what factors tourists base their satisfaction on. The group comprised of 3 women and 4 men whose ages ranged from 24 to 27 from well to do backgrounds .The discussion lasted for 30 minutes and the group was asked to discuss the prime factors that it would consider while rating the level of satisfaction they achieved from their visits to Mahabalipuram.
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The highest rated factors that came up during the discussion were as below 1. Security 2. Accommodation 3. Transport 4. Tourist attraction (Heritage sites) 2 women and 1 man from the group gave security the highest preference. Accommodation was the main differentiating point for 3 women and 2 men. Transport played an important role in determining the level of comfort and convenience with which they could travel. Not surprisingly, the heritage sites were the primary reason tourists flocked to Mahabalipuram. The Focus Group discussion helped us get an overall perspective on the way tourists viewed Mahabalipuram and the frequency with which they would like to visit it. Thus, Focus Group discussions enabled us to conduct a qualitative analysis effectively. It also helped us filter most of the variables and come up with the most prominent factors influencing tourist satisfaction in Mahabalipuram.

Variables Based in the Focus Group Discussions and Depth Interviews conducted we have identified the following four variables which contribute to overall tourist satisfaction in Mahabalipuram. Independent Variable The following variables were the predominant factors that tourists felt contributed to their overall satisfaction level during their stay in Mahabalipuram. A brief description of the factors is as follows: a) Tourist Attractions Tourist attraction refers to various spots, which tourists visit during their visit to Mahabalipuram. This includes all the natural Heritage sites, beaches, historical monuments, temples, etc. b) Transportation/Conveyance This variable refers to the different modes of transport, which are available in Mahabalipuram. This variable also measures the price and service level provided by the different transportation methods in Mahabalipuram.

c) Accommodation This refers to the various accommodation services present in Mahabalipuram. This variable will measure the overall satisfaction with respect to the place of stay, services provided, etc. d) Security This variable measures how secure tourists feel when travelling in Mahabalipuram. Security is considered to be an important factor especially for women when they travel to new places. e) Cleanliness This variable measures how tourists rate this place on the level of cleanliness. People usually prefer visiting places that are clean and hygienic. f) Friendliness This variable refers to the level warmth and friendliness of locals. Friendliness is an important factor that determines the frequency of the visitors, visit to a place. g) Weather This variable measures how weather contributes to the overall satisfaction of the tourists who come to Mahabalipuram.

Dependent Variable Tourist Satisfaction This variable measures the overall tourist satisfaction with respect to frequency of travel, recommending it to Friends and relatives, feeling at home and overall satisfaction level of the stay in Mahabalipuram. Hypothesis For the seven independent variables we have come up with the following NULL and alternative hypothesis: 1. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with Tourist Attractions in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with Tourist Attractions in Mahabalipuram.

2. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with Transportation services in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with Transportation services in Mahabalipuram. 3. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with Accommodations in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with Accommodations in Mahabalipuram. 4. H0: Tourists have security concerns in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists have no security concerns in Mahabalipuram. 5. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with Cleanliness in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with Cleanliness in Mahabalipuram. 6. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with locals friendliness in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with locals friendliness in Mahabalipuram. 7. H0: Tourists are not satisfied with Weather in Mahabalipuram. H1: Tourists are satisfied with Weather in Mahabalipuram. Scales for Dependent and Independent variable Variables may have two types 1. Continuous 2. Categorical Continuous variables: A continuous variable has numeric values such as 1, 2, 3.14, -5, etc. The relative magnitude of the values is significant (e.g., a value of 2 indicates twice the magnitude of 1). Categorical variables: A Categorical variable usually has fixed number of possible values and is used to represent categorical data. A Likert scale is sum of responses to several Likert items. A Likert Item is a statement that the respondent is asked to evaluate. The scale is balanced on both sides of a neutral option, creating a less biased measurement. The actual scale labels, as well as the numeric scale, may vary. Since, in our study, we have used variables that are categorical, the
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selection of the scales for the dependent and independent variables was based on this. We selected Ordinal scale as it is used for ranking, rating or grading and it shows highest to least preference. Under Ordinal scales we chose Likert scale, it asks the respondents to indicate the level to which they agree or disagree with belief statements about a given object. To keep the survey simple and easy to understand for the respondents we have used 5 point Likert scale namely Strongly Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor Disagree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. Choice of Method When we need to market a product, we would like to know whether the product would be acceptable in the target market. For such purposes Surveys will be conducted among target population by selecting a sample population, which is a true representative of target population. However, if one needs to test a product like a newly developed drug, one requires an experiment. A survey contains random opinions of sample population about particular product or service while an experiment contains more comprehensive data, which can be proved. In our study, to measure tourist satisfaction in Mahabalipuram, we have used survey method of obtaining information. This method is based on the questioning of respondents. Respondents are asked variety of questions either verbally, in writing or via computer. With survey method the information collected has following advantages1. It provides structured data i.e. the questions are asked in a prearranged order. 2. The questionnaire is easy to administer. For major modes are telephonic, personal, mail, and electronic. 3. Easy to code, analyze and interpret a wide range of information. 4. Questions could be made reliable by limiting them to fixed responses.

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Based on study of literature and our analysis done so far, we have come up with the questionnaire, which intends to collect data regarding dependent and independent variables, which will be used in finding the tourist satisfaction in Mahabalipuram.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire.xlsx

TOOLS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS ANOVA: ANOVA compares two types of variances: the variance within each sample and the variance between different samples. Significant difference between the samples can be identified using the p-value. This would have indicated a significant difference between its population mean and the other population means. REGRESSION: Linear regression analysis is a technique used to model the relationship between a scalar dependent variable and one or more exploratory independent variables.

RESULTS

1) CRONBACH ALPHA
Result: The following Cronbach alphas were recorded for each of the 7 independent variables, which indicated that the items measured the construct under consideration.

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Independent Variables Accomodation Cleanliness Weather Friendliness Tourist Attraction Security Transport

Cronbach Alpha 0.854 0.846 0.854 0.731 0.696 0.733 0.697

2) ANOVA
Model Regression Residual Total Sum of Squares 30.703 77.919 108.622 ANOVAa df 7 352 359 Mean Square 4.386 .221 F 19.814 Sig. .000b

a. Dependent Variable: Touristsatis b. Predictors: (Constant), Weather, Friendliness, Touristatt, Cleanliness, security, Accommodation, Transport Result: As can be seen in the ANOVA table, the level of significance is quite low which suggests that collectively the variables are doing a good job of measuring tourist satisfaction.

3) Descriptive Statistics

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Results: As can be seen in the descriptive statistics table, overall the tourists are satisfied with their experience in Mahabalipuram (as the mean of the results is very high). Also tourists are happy with the overall friendliness and Tourist attraction experience at Mahabalipuram.

4) Inter correlation

Result: -As can be seen from the table, there is no significant correlation between any of the two variables. Hence no factor analysis required.

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5) Regression analysis

Result: - As can be seen in the co-efficient table ( for a given level of significance): a) Transport, tourist attraction and weather have a significant relation with the tourist satisfaction in Mahabalipuram and contribute to the overall satisfaction level of tourists at Mahabalipuram. b) Cleanliness has a significant impact on tourist satisfaction but tourists are not satisfied with cleanliness at Mahabalipuram.

RECOMMENDATION
We would recommend that the cleanliness of Mahabalipuram be improved so as to ensure tourist satisfaction. Government can come up with various policies to improve the overall cleanliness in Mahabalipuram by carrying out awareness activities like holding campaigns to create awareness. They can display banners in public places which emphasize on the importance of keeping the city clean. Since, in the results we see that for tourists coming to Mahabalipuram, monuments and historical places form an important criterion while visiting the place, we can suggest to Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TNTDC) to promote Mahabalipuram as a place of historical importance, with monuments and sculptures that date back several hundred years. It is necessary for the locals to be friendly with the foreigners. As per the result, friendliness is not a very important measure for tourist satisfaction. However, provision of better accommodation facilities and food options must be implemented by the locals. The Government could give subsidies to the locals to enable them to implement these facilities effectively.

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REFERENCES
1. BRUKERT, A.J. AND MEDLIK.S, "The Management of Tourism", William Heinmann Ltd. London, 1975. 2. BADAN, B.S., "Impact of Tourism in South India", Common Wealth Publishers, New Delhi, 1997. 3. BHATIA, A.K., "Tourism Development", Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1992. 4. BHATIA, A.K., "International Tourism Management", Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 1996. 5. K.K.SHARMA, "Tourism and Development" Sarup and sons, New Delhi, 2005. 6. BEZBARUAH, "Indian Tourism Industry" Gyan Publishing House, New Delhi, 1999. 7. CHARLES KAISER AND LARRY, E. HELBER, "Tourism Planning and Development", CBI Publishing Co.Inc.,Beston, 1978. 8. CHRISCOOPER, JOHN FLETCHER, DAVID GILBERT AND STEPHEN WANHILL, "Tourism (Principles and Practice)", Pitman Publishing, London, 1993. 9. HOLLO WAY, "The Business of Tourism, Longman Limited, New York, 1999. 10. MALHOTRA P.K., "Tourism Marketing", Anmoll Publications Pvt., New Delhi, 1998. 11. SINGH RATANDEEP, "Infrastructure of Tourism in India" Kanishka Publishers, Distributors, New Delhi, 1996. 12. American Society for Quality Control,. (1995). American Customer Satisfaction Index : Methodology Report. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, American Society of Quality Control. 13. Arnould, E. J. and L. Price (1993). River Magic : Extraordinary Experience and the Extended Service Encounter. Journal of Consumer Research 20(June): 24-45. 14. Australian Bureau of Statistics, (1997). Framework for Australian Tourism Statistics. Canberra, Australian Bureau of Statistics. 15. Brown, P., J (1988). Quality in Recreation Experience. Outdoor Recreation Benchmark 1988 : Proceedings of the National Outdoor Recreation Forum, Tampa, Florida, USDA Forest Service. 16. Byrne, N. (1995). Customer Satisfaction Monitoring, National Parks Service, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Victoria). 17. Northern Territory Tourism Commission, (1994). A Customer Satisfaction Survey of Users of Caravan Parks in the Northern Territory. Darwin, Northern Territory Government. 18. Crompton, J. L. and L. L. Love (1995). The Predictive Value of Alternative Approaches to Evaluating Quality of a Festival. Journal of Travel Research (Summer): 11-24. 19. Driver, B. L. and R. C. Tocher (1970). "Toward a behavioural interpretation of recreational engagements, with implications for planning". . B. L. Driver. (Ed) Elements of Outdoor Recreation Planning. Ann Arbor, University of Michigan: 9-31.

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