Evaluating tourist satisfaction with the retail experience in a typical tourist shopping village

The study presented in this paper explores the phenomenon of Tourist Shopping Villages (TSVs) and the dimensions that contribute to satisfying visitor experiences. TSVs are defined as small towns and villages that base their tourist appeal on retailing, often in a pleasant setting marked by historical or natural amenities. A conceptual framework was developed in an attempt to explain and understand visitor satisfaction with the tourist shopping village experience. The results indicate the village performance on providing a unique local experience, value for money and regionally distinctive products, and opportunities for entertainment and bargain hunting were the key variables which most strongly predicted whether respondents were very satisfied or not. Surprisingly, the level of enthusiasm for leisure shopping did not have a strong influence on the visitor experience or satisfaction. Tourist shopping villages provide a unique setting in which recreational or leisure shopping occurs and are under-researched, particularly from the perspective of the visitor experience. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.