Demographic Characteristics and Service Quality Perceptions in Game Lodges
Abstract
Customer demographic characteristics are key determinants of consumers’
behaviour and play an important role in differentiating customer needs and
service quality perception. Providing high-quality services in game lodges
promotes business performance, including market share and profitability.
However, practical and empirical evidence has demonstrated that perception
of service quality differs significantly between customers, leading to
differences in their expectations and satisfaction, consequently affecting their
behavioural intentions. Although several studies have reported the effect of
demographic characteristics on service quality perception, few studies exist
in the context of game lodges. Hence, this study investigated whether
significant differences exist in service quality perception within demographic
characteristics among visitors in game lodges. A multi-stage sampling
procedure was used to obtain a sample size of 337 visitors from the different
categories of star-rated game lodges at Maasai Mara National Reserve and
its conservancies in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey. Data
was analysed using descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance
(ANOVA) to determine whether there were significant differences in service
perception within different demographic characteristics. The study found that
nationality and age influenced service quality perception. The findings
suggest that the game lodge managers should structure their services based
on the visitors’ nationality and age. Moreover, the game lodge managers can
use these findings to formulate a demographic-driven marketing strategy.
URI
https://doi.org/10.37284/ajthm.4.1.3300http://repository.mut.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/6779
