Resource Exchanges for Agritourism Service Encounters

Abstract

This article examines the conceptual relationship of agritourists' social interactions and satisfaction derived from resource theory. Agritourists encounter a series of interactions that provide various resources at a farm, so understanding how those interactions influence agritourism experiences is believed to be important. This study addresses this issue by investigating agritourists' reactions to receiving particular (e.g., care) versus universal types of resources (e.g., money discount) received from service providers. Results of the study provide empirical evidence that particular resources exchanged on agritourism encounters contribute more to satisfaction than universal resources. Therefore, agritourism providers need to primarily focus on particular resource exchange with their agritourists and customers. For universal resources, such as money discount or promotional pricing, they need to be designed to convey personal care and attention towards individual customers rather than just being monetary benefits.

Keywords:

• agritourism
• resource theory
• social interactions
• satisfaction

Notes