Evaluation of an Urban Tourism Destination

Abstract

Using the Tourist City model, this study evaluates Tel Aviv's tourism product and visitor satisfaction and asks three major questions. What tourism components does the city offer? How do tourists relate to these components? And what differences, if any, emerged in the responses of the different visitor groups? This article employs two primary research tools: objective examination and structured interviews (n = 199). Respondents were classified into four tourist groups according to visitor motivation: (1) vacation, (2) business, (3) culture, (4) visiting friends and relatives (VFR). The findings indicate that the tourist and VFR groups experienced higher levels of satisfaction than business and culture visitors. Tel Aviv's strengths were its beach and leisure components, while its weaknesses related to the city's physical aspects: transportation, cleanliness, architecture, and accommodation. Tel Aviv possesses a sufficient quantity of diverse attractions and has the potential to attract and satisfy not only VFR tourists and vacation tourists, but also ‘touring’ and business tourists. To attract all four tourist groups, the industry must focus more on secondary products and internal accessibility.

Key Words:

• Urban tourism
• Israel
• tourists’ satisfaction
• tourist products
• Tel Aviv
• tourism planning