Service Quality Components as Antecedents of Satisfaction and Behavioral Intentions: The Case of a Greek Carnival Festival

Abstract

The main research objective of the author in this study is to investigate the strength of the interrelationships among performance- and experience-based variables of perceived service quality with satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Attributes of service quality (performance and experience) are set as antecedents of satisfaction and, behavioral intentions—namely loyalty and willingness to pay more. Results from a survey on 452 festival visitors in Patras, Greece provided evidence that festival experience significantly affects behavioral loyalty and willingness to pay more, as well as satisfaction. The results extend previous knowledge on festivals by strengthening assertions that service quality dimensions are stronger predictors of visitor behavioral intentions than satisfaction. They also signify the key role of festival experience in bringing about favorable behavioral intentions in a festival context.

KEYWORDS:

• festival
• service quality
• satisfaction
• loyalty
• willingness to pay more

Acknowledgments

The author sincerely appreciates the valuable comments from the anonymous reviewers and editors, and the support provided for data collection, by the company DATARC, Greece.