project service quality

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IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE
TOURISM INDUSTRY IN GHANA, THE ROLE OF
SERVICE QUALITY
Obeng Boadi, Joshua
joshuaobeng98@gmail.com
Department of Management Studies
College of Humanities and Legal Studies
University of Cape Coast
Abstract
Mature competition and global financial systems have been forced to investigate the
significance of customer satisfaction. The research shed light on the impact of service
quality on the performance of the Tourism industry in Ghana specifically the Central
region of Ghana. Respondents are chosen from a range of varying demographic features
of foreigner who visit the country from North America, South America, Africa, Europe
and Asia using purposive sampling. Foreigners from the continents stated above were
selected for the sampling. Survey questionnaires were distributed among 200 tourists.
100% (200 respondents) valid response rate is yielded. Descriptive statistics such as
mean, variance, standard deviation, correlation, and crosstabs were used for the analysis.
The reliability of the questionnaire calculated yielded 0.80 which was above the
benchmark of 0.7 required. This study has used the model of service quality (Zeithaml,
Parasuraman, and Berry in (1985) with five dimensions to evaluate its effect on the
customer satisfaction among tourist who visit the Central region of Ghana for tourism
purposes. The results indicate that the higher the service quality, the more the costumer’s
satisfaction. The Dimensions of service quality plays an important role in this equation.
These dimensions are Tangibility, Responsiveness, Reliability, Empathy, and Assurance.
Finally, the findings indicate that these five factors have positively affected the customer

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satisfaction. This research also shows that the service quality is an appropriate tool to
measure the quality of service in the tourism industry. Therefore, the Tourism sector
practitioners regard this instrument a very important tool to evaluate, support, and
improve the quality of their services.
Keywords:
Service quality, Customer satisfaction, Tourism Industry, Ghana
Introduction
The concepts of service quality and service satisfaction have been highly considered
and used in marketing during previous decades. Marketing researchers have praised the
advantages of satisfaction and quality, and have mentioned them as indices of an organization
competitive benefit (Ruyter, 1997). service marketing intellectuals and researchers have offered
several metaphors of this issue. For example, Berry (cited in Kandampully, 1998, p 423) calls it
the most powerful competition weapon and Clow (1993) calls it the organization’s life-giving
blood.
Quality management has been reckoned as the prime mover towards enhanced
business performance and several researches have underlined the quality improvement initiatives
resulting in a sustainable competitive advantage ( Sureshchandar et al.,2002). The indicator value
of customer and organizational performance has been the reason why both academicians and
practitioners alike have been interested in the contruct ‘service quality’. But even though the
number of articles about services quality is huge, there is no agreement about service quality in
service industries, unlike traditional physical product industries
Adrian,(2011) acknowledged that the concept of service quality is difficult to define
and measure and this has aroused massive interest in interest and debate in the research literature.
However, many researchers have come out with some acceptable definitions. One that is

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commonly used defines service quality as the extent to which a service meets customers’ needs or
expectations (Lewis and Mitchell, 1990; Zeithaml, 1988)
Customerservice can be described asthe totality of what the organisation does toaddvalue
to its products and services in the eyes of the customer. Another way to look at this issue is to say that quality
is the ability of the organisation to meetor exceed customer expectations (Brink & Berndt, 2005).
Statementofthe Problem
Increased competitivenessin the marketplace in which businesses, countries and organization
function has been one of the main reasons why quality service and customer care have become of great
importance. Inorder to retain and expand market share, high quality service must be rendered
Kotler, (2005) asserts that the key in succeeding in the business world is the ability to
create, deliver and communicate more value more efficiently than competitors and this is
dependent on the quality of the product or service being sold which subsequently influences
customer satisfaction. Zeithamland Bitner(1996)and (Nanuel, (2008) point out that, service quality
has been linked with increased profitability, and it is seen as providing an important competitive advantage
by generating repeatsales,positive word-of-mouth feedback,customer loyalty,and competitive product
differentiation.
Many researchers (Heskett, Sasser & Schlesinger, 1997; Yu & Dean, 2001; Garland &
Gendall, 2004; Lai, 2004; Henkel, Houchaime, Locatelli, Singh, Zeithaml, & Bittner, 2006;
Cavana, Corbett, & Lo 2007; Kao, 2009; Naeem & Saif, 2009; Zeithalm, Wilson, & Bitner, 2008)
concluded that there is a relationship between service quality and customer loyalty. Jones, Beatty
and Mothersbaugh, (2002) discovered that there is a positive relationship between service quality
and loyalty variables such as repurchase intention, recommendation and resistance to better
alternatives. Jones, Sasser, and Earl, (1995) argued that this relationship is not a simple linear
one; the resulting behaviors may depend on consumer attributions, (i.e. their belief in the causes
of the customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction assessment).
ResearchObjectives
The aim of this study is to determine customer perceptions ofservice quality at the Business
Studies Unit. Specifically, the following objectives are pursued:
1. To measure and compare the expectations and perceptions of tourists who visit Ghana

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2. To assess the impact of customer satisfaction of service quality on customer
loyalty.
3. To recommend measure(s) to improve service quality in the tourism industry in
Ghana
Research Questions
Based on the specific research objectives, the following research quaetions shall be pursued to
achieve the said objectives.
1. What is the state of customer perception and customer expectation of tourist in the
Central region of Ghana
2. How does customer satisfaction regarding quality service influence customer loyalty?
3. What measures can be implemented to improve service quality at tour sites in the central
region of Ghana
Significance of the Study
The findings of this article are expected to be of immense importance to several
stakeholders. First of all, it is expected, management of tour sites will benefit from this research
because, where the findings present deficiency, corrective strategies can be crafted and executed
with cutting-edge innovative tactics to make tourist become more satisfied with their services. In
similar fashion, when the findings go in favour of the country, it will inform management of tour
sites that their chosen strategies are working and therefore make them continue pursuing the
chosen paths.
Policy makers especially the Ministry of Tourism will find this material excessively
useful as it will inform them about the state of affairs in terms of quality service delivery in the
tourism industry thereby influencing their policy directions.
To the central government, resource allocative decisions, budgeting and technical
assistance could be influenced if this material’s findings are used as criteria for decision making.
Scope of the Study

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The research was conducted to assess customer perception of service quality at Cape Coast in
the Central region of Ghana, West Africa. An estimated 1200 tourist will form the
population and with this, 200 will be selected to be surveyed to obtain their perceptions
and expectation regarding the quality of services provided tour site operators in the
Central region of Ghana. Questionnaires will be the instrument to be used for the primary
data collection through the descriptive research design. Data collection exercise will be
done through convenience sampling procedure.
Organisation of the Study
The research consists of five (5) main chapters. Chapter One concerns the
introduction of the study, background of the study, statement of problem, research
objectives, research questions and significance of the study, limitation and organisation
of the study.
The Chapter Two deals with the Literature Review. This is where theories,
models and existing literature or write-up relevant to the topic will be reviewed.
The Chapter Three concentrates on the Research Methodology. This chapter
considers the research design, population of the study, research instrument, sampling and
sample sizes, sampling procedures data collection procedure and data analysis. In
Chapter Four, data that will be collected and analysed will be presented in Tables
and Figures and will be fully discussed. The Chapter Five presents the summary,
conclusions, and recommendations of the research.
Limitations
The service quality model (SERVQUAL model) used for the research has the
limitations in the sense that customer expectations are not clearly defined as to the
definite dimensions of the quality service measured (Cronin & Taylor, 1992).
CHAPTER TWO

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Overview of the Tourism Industry in Ghana
Tourism in Ghana has become a major socio-economic activity and one of the most important
and fastest growing sectors of the Ghanaian economy. Travel and Tourism establishments in
Ghana include hotels, tourist shops, tour operators, car rentals, and restaurants. The hotel
subsector is the largest and most dynamic. The number of hotels was 1,775 in 2013 with 28,028
rooms. The number of licensed star hotels was 872.
The tourism sector is a significant contributor to economic growth and development in
Ghana. Tourism is a major source of foreign exchange, employment, and government revenue. In
2013, the direct contribution of the Travel & Tourism industry to Ghana’s GDP was US$1.34
billion, representing 2.8% of GDP. The direct contribution measures spending by services that
caters to domestic and international tourists. These services include accommodation, food and
beverage, transportation, culture, sports and recreation as well as retail trade.
The total contribution of tourism to the economy is much larger when the Travel &
Tourism industry’s expenditures on investments, government taxes, materials, labor, energy, etc.,
are included. In 2013, total contribution of Travel & Tourism to Ghana’s economy was US$3.19
billion, representing 6.67% of GDP. Tourism’s direct contribution to the economy has grown
from US$1.03 billion in 2008 to US$1.34 billion in 2013. Travel & Tourism investment increased
from US$303 million in 2008 to US$403 million in 2013. Total spending on Travel & Tourism
in Ghana has shown steady growth, increasing from US$1,982 million in 2008 to US$2,372 in
2013. International tourist receipts fluctuate but they have generally been rising; they increased
from US$970 million in 2008 to US$1,068 million in 2013. International tourist receipts
constituted about 45% of total s pending in 2013. The annual number of international tourists is
estimated to be about 950,000 now and is expected to grow to 1.5 million by 2024 (Table 1).
International tourist receipts constitute the fourth highest source of foreign exchange for Ghana,
after gold, cocoa, and foreign remittances.
Ghana Immigration Service statistics for 2011 show that the leading sources for
international visitors were Nigeria (19%), USA (13%), UK (9%), Cote d’Ivoire (5%), and 3%
each for Canada, Germany, India, Nether lands, and South Africa. Ghana Tourism Authority
statistics for 2009 show that the top three reasons for visiting Ghana were business, conferences,
study/training (40%), visiting friends and family (25%), and holiday travel (20%). The tourist
sites that attracted the most visitors (domestic and international) in 2013 were Kakum National

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Park (184,000), Cape Coast/Elmina Castles (157,000) Kwame Nkumah Memorial Park (93,000),
Kumasi Zoo (68,000), Wli Waterfalls (63,000), and Manhyia Palace Museum (51,000).
Challenges ofthe Tourism industry
There are many issues and challenges facing tourism in Ghana. The key ones identified in African
Transformation Report and the Ghana Economic Transformation Case Study (ACET), 2012
report are:1) limited understanding of tourism as a tool for economic development; 2) inadequate
investment in the tourism sector; 3) poor infrastructure and tourism support services; 4) Ghana as
a high cost tourism destination; and 5) lack of professionalism and poor service quality in the
tourism industry.
Potential ofthe Tourism industry in Ghana
Ghana has considerable and diverse tourism assets. These assets have been comprehensively
identified in past and current tourism development plans. Ghana’s tourism assets are usually
organized into four sectors: 1) natural attractions; 2) historical heritage; 3) cultural heritage; and
4) other attractions.
These assets can be leveraged with tourism support services, infrastructure,
marketing, and the friendly, hospitable disposition of Ghanaians to accelerate tourism growth and
employment. Ghana’s tourism assets offer opportunities for the development of ecotourism,
cultural and heritage tourism, conference and business tourism, leisure tourism, and beach resort
tourism. Natural attractions in Ghana include national parks, resource reserves, wildlife
sanctuaries, and wetland reserves. In addition, there are good beaches, lakes and rivers, waterfalls
and general scenic beauty. Kakum and Mole national parks are the most developed but Kakum
has become the best known tourism attraction in Ghana because of its canopy walkway and
proximity to Cape Coast. Other well known natural attractions include Boabeng-Fiema monkey
sanctuary, Nzulezo stilt settlement, Shai Hills resource reserve, Wli waterfalls and the Volta
Lake.
These natural attractions provide opportunities for ecotourism, beach tourism,and
adventure tourism. Ghana has a large number of historical and archaeological sites, including
forts and castles along the coast, traditional buildings, mosques, churches, and major shrines.
These include two properties on the UNESCO World Heritage Site: forts and castles, along the

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coast, and Asante traditional buildings. The forts and castles are over 500 years old and played
significant part in the transatlantic slave trade. The traditional buildings include shrines,
courtyards, and adinkra symbols that illustrate ideas and beliefs of ancient Asante.
These historical assets provide opportunities for cultural heritage tourism. In
particular, the large African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean have a natural affinity
for understanding and experiencing Ghanaian history. The vibrant customary life in Ghana
includes many festivals, such as Adae Kese, Homowo, Odwira, Aboakyir, Hogbestosto, and
Damba, as well as, music, dances, traditional attire, decorations, and cultural artifacts promoting
traditional authorities and customary life. These provide opportunities for cultural tourism all
over the country.
Other tourism assets center around urban areas, especially Accra, Kumasi, and the
regional capitals. As the capital city, seat of government and main business center, Accra
provides opportunities for conference and business tourism. Accra is the gateway to Ghana,
adequately serviced by flights to international and regional destinations.
The Concept of Service Quality
Brink and Berndt, (2005) defined quality as the ability of the organisation to meet or
exceed customer expectations because after making a purchase, customers compare the service
expected to what is actually received. Customers decide how satisfied they are with service delivery
and outcomes, and they also make judgments about quality (Lovelock & Wright, (2002).
Adrian, (2011) and Wicks and Roethlein, (2009) acknowledged that the concept
of service quality is difficult to define and measures and this has aroused massive interest
in interest and debate in the research literature. However, many researchers have come
out with some acceptable definitions. One that is commonly used defines service quality
as the extent to which a service meets customers’ needs or expectations (Lewis and
Mitchell, 1990; Dotchin and Oakland, 1994a; Wisniewski and Donnelly, 1996).
Gronroos (1984) distinguished between technical and functional quality.
Technical quality refers to the relatively quantifiable aspects of service that customers
receive in their interactions with service firm or service providers (Adrian, 2011). Since
both customers and suppliers can easily measure technical quality, it becomes important
for judging service quality. Service delivery involves direct consumer-producer

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interaction and consumers are influenced by “how” the technical quality is delivered to
them (consumers) and this is termed as function quality. Functional quality cannot be
measured objectively as the case of technical quality (Adrian, 2011).
Measuring Service Quality
The SERVQUAL developed by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry (1985) is a
technique that is used for performing a gap analysis of an organisation’s service quality
performance against customer service quality needs. SERVQUAL model is a
disconfirmation approach for measuring service quality (Adrian, 2011). According to the
SERVQUAL model, service quality can be measured by identifying the gaps between
customers’ expectations of the service to be rendered to them and customers
perceptions of the actual performance of service received. SERVQUAL is based on five
dimensions of service:
 Tangibility: Tangibility refers to the physical characteristics or appearance
of physical elements associated with the service encounter. The physical
surroundings represented by objects (for example, interior design) and
subjects (for example, the appearance of employees).
 Reliability: Measures the degree of dependability and accuracy of
performance. Specifically probing into the service provider’s ability to
provide accurate and dependable services; consistently performing the
service right.
 Responsiveness: A firm’s willingness to assist its customers by providing fast
and efficient service performances; the willingness that employees exhibit to
promptly and efficiently solve customer requests and problems.
 Assurance: Diverse features that provide confidence to customers (such as the
firm’s specific service knowledge polite and trustworthy behaviour from
employees). Typical of central themes for assurance include competence,
courtesy, credibility and security.
 Empathy: The service firm’s readiness to provide each customer with
personal service and key elements include access, communication,

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understanding the customer. Also concerns caring and individualized attention
that the firm provides to its customers.
Adrian, (2011) reported that the SERVQUAL methodology identifies five gaps where
there may be a shortfall between expectations and perceptions of the actual service
delivery.
1. Gap between consumer expectations and management perception.
Management may think that they know what consumers expect and proceed to
deliver this when in fact consumers may expect something quite different.
2. Gap between management perception and service quality specification.
Management may understand what customer expect, but fail to set appropriate
quality specifications or may not set them clearly. Alternatively management
may set clear quality specifications but these may not be achievable.
3. Gap between service quality specifications and service delivery. Unforeseen
problems or poor management can lead to a service provider failing to meet
service quality specifications. This may be due to human error but also to
mechanical breakdown of facilitating or support goods.
4. Gap between service delivery and external communications. There may be
dissatisfaction with a service due to the excessively heightened expectations
developed through the service provider’s communications efforts.
Dissatisfaction occurs where actual delivery does not meet up with expectations
held out in a company’s communications.
5. Gap between perceived service and expected service. This gap occurs as a
result of one or more of the previous gaps. The way in which customers
perceive actual service delivery does not match up with their initial expectation.
In the words of Adrian, (2011) the gap model is useful as it allows management to
make analytical assessment of the causes of poor service quality. If the first gaps are
great, the task of bridging the subsequent gaps becomes greater and indeed it could be
said that in such circumstances quality service can only be achieved by good luck
rather than good management.

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Customer’s Expectations and Perceptions of Service
Customer expectations may be described as the desires or wants of the consumer.
The crux is that customer expectations are what the customer expects from the organisation and its
range of product or services. These expectations are, in most instances, different from what the
customer gets in real-life situations from the organisation. What is important here is to focus on
the customer perceptions, rather than on the reality of the performance (Brink & Berndt, 2005).
According to Strydom, Jooste and Cant (2000), customer perception is the process of
receiving, organising and assigning meaning to information or stimuli detected by the customer’s
five senses and opine that it gives meaning to the world that surrounds the customer. Perceptions
are also described as the end result of a number of observations by the customer (Lovelock &
Wright, 2002). Customers perceive services in terms of quality of services provided and the
satisfaction level attained.
The Benefits of Service Quality
According to Suganthi and Samuel (2004) as quality is becoming the key factor in every
walk of life, everyone has to be educated in quality principles. Many industries, service
organisations have implemented quality systems. In industries where implementations of quality
systems were successful, it has resulted in the following benefits:-
i. Reduction in complaints from customers, both internal and external
ii. Reduction in cost of the product
iii. Reduction in production time
iv. Increased system efficiency
v. Increased morale of staff
vi. Increased customer satisfaction.
The Link between Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction
According to Brink and Berndt (2005) customers perceive services in terms of the
quality of service provided and the satisfaction level attained. These two concepts, service

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quality and customer satisfaction, are the focus of attention of organisations because they want to
quantify (measure) them. The reason for the focus on quality of service and customer
satisfaction is the belief that organisations can differentiate themselves by means of
providing better service quality and overall customer satisfaction.
The Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty
The impact of satisfaction on loyalty has been the most popular subject of studies
(Kuusik, 2007). Several studies have revealed that there is a direct connection between
satisfaction and loyalty in that satisfied customers become loyal and dissatisfied
customers move to another vendor (Kuusik, 2007).
The American Customer Satisfaction Index, ACSI, was created with to describe
the development of customer loyalty (Kuusik, 2007). In the ACSI model there are three
antecedents of customer satisfaction: perceived quality, perceived value and customer
expectations (Anderson & Fornell, 2000). On the other hand, the ECSI (European
Customer Satisfaction Index) model divides quality into two segments: Product/service
attributes and human attributes. Product related attributes refer to the quality of the
product or service attributes, and human related features concern the interactive
elements in service, in other words the personal behavior and atmosphere of the service
environment (Grönholdt, Martensen & Kristensen, 2000).
Both of these models show that increased satisfaction increases customer
loyalty. When the satisfaction is low customers may turn to a competitor or express their
dissatisfaction (Kuusik, 2007).
Research has shown that 60–80% of customers who defect to a competitor
said they were satisfied or very satisfied just prior to their defection (Reichheld,
Markey & Hopton, 2000). Thus it’s clear that satisfaction can’t be the only factor that
has an impact on loyalty (Kuusik, 2007). To Gitomer (1998) customer satisfaction is
worthless because a satisfied customer still will buy the other company’s product or
service. Different authors argued that customer satisfaction per se does not necessarily
assure continued purchases if, for example, competitors offer attractive promotions
(Anderson, Claes & Donald, 1994; Jones & Sasser, 1995). The argument is that, where a

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company lacks adequate funds for organising promotions, having a strong loyal customer
base will pay off dearly.
Customer satisfaction is increasingly viewed as a necessary first step, but not a
sufficient condition, for creating customer retention and impacting market share
(Anderson et al., 1994; Jones & Sasser, 1995; Reichheld, 1996). According to Rust and
Zahorik (1995) customer satisfaction decides customer loyalty. Cronin and Taylor (1992)
indicate that customer satisfaction can influence customer loyalty directly. Hence, it is
understood that the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty is progressive.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methods that were used in gathering data for this study.
According to Kothari, (2004) research methodology is a way to systematically solve the
research problem. According to Moulton, (2009) research design refers to the set of
guidelines and instructions that researchers follow in addressing the research problem. In
this study, the descriptive survey research design was used, to assess people’s knowledge,
beliefs, preferences and satisfaction, in an attempt to measuring these magnitudes in the
general population (Kotler & Keller, 2013). Leedy and Ormrod (2010) stressed that
survey captures fleeting moment in time and draws conclusions from one transitory
collection of data and further extrapolates over state of affairs over a longer period of
time. On the drawbacks of descriptive survey, Zickmund, (2000) lamented that survey is
susceptible or easily influenced through the introduction of biases in measuring of
instruments and so on as well as being relatively laborious and time consuming method.
Taylor, Sinha and Ghoshal, (2011) explained that the population of a research is
generally a large collection of individuals or objects that represents the main focus of a
scientific research. The population of the research comprise the tourists who come for
tourism in the Central Region of Ghana. The tourist were categorised according to the
various continents of the world such as Africa, North America, South America, Europe
and Asia
The research approach used was the quantitative approach. Curran and Blackburn,
(2001) acknowledged that this choice is increasingly advocated within business and
management research. The quantitative research approach was employed as it presents
ease and speed in conducting research (Musah, Mumuni, Abayomi, & Jibrel, 2013) and

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provide specific facts for decision makers to make accurate predictions about
relationships between factors and behaviours, gain meaningful insights into those
relationships and verify or validate the existing relationships (Hair, Wolfinbarger, Ortinau
& Bush, 2008).
Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents for the study.
Purposive sampling techniques offer the convenience to the researcher to reach the
targeted respondents easily and provide rich source of information for research work
(Taylor, et al, 2011). To Leedy and Ormrod, (2010), this sampling technique is
appropriate when it is difficult to reach the required respondents for a study and further
help provide detailed and specific information (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010). A sample size
of 200 tourists was selected and surveyed accordingly. The selection of the sample size
was based on the population-sample matrix designed by Kirk, (1995). This matrix is a
guide to selecting suitable sample size to a given population size.
Design of Instrument
Questionnaire was the main data collection instrument used to collect data from
the field survey. The choice this instrument was necessitated by the extensive review of
literature and the specific objectives of the study. Taylor, Sinha & Ghoshal, (2011)
asserted that the use of questionnaire is a sensible way forward if factual information is
needed from substantial number of people.
The questionnaire used close-ended. Close-ended questions have the advantage of
making analysis simple and powerful (Taylor, et al, 2011) and afforded the researcher the
opportunity to control the flow of information for the study (Leedy & Ormrod, 2010).
The closed-ended questions were asked as either dichotomous, where only two choices
were offered or multi-chotomous questions, where multiple answers were available for
choice (Brace, 2004) as well as Likert point scale. The questionnaire used was based on
Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry (1985) research instrument designed for the
assessment of service quality using dimension as responsiveness, tangibles, reliability,
assurance and Empathy.
The primary data was collected through the use of survey questionnaire. The use
of questionnaire was adopted because it ensured that data collection was standardized

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such that each respondent got the same question and in the same format. The
questionnaires were given to the tourists during the time they were having their breakfast,
lunch and supper after permission was granted by the management of restaurants for such
exercise to be carried out. All the questions were answered and fully returned. So, a
response rate of 100% was recorded.
The questionnaires was coded before entering the data into Statistical Package for
Social sciences SSPS (version 22.0) for analysis. Before the actual statistical techniques
were used, the reliability of the instrument was computed and it was confirmed that the
instrument was reliable for such statistics to be performed. Descriptive statistics such as
frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to describe the
phenomena of interest. Inferential statistics such as standard multiple regression,
correlation and others were as well computed.
A Crombach’s Alpha of 0.78 was recorded for the internal consistency and since
it is above the standard 0.7, the scale can be considered as being reliable with the sample
size (Pallant, 2005). Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, (2009) refer validity of an instrument
as to how well an instrument measures the particular concept it supposed to measure. To
ensure validity of questionnaires, the researcher reviewed other relevant literature that
served as evidence and supported the answers found using the questionnaire (Saunders, et
al., 2009). Further, the designed questionnaire was submitted to the project supervisor
for vetting, correction and approval before distributing it to the respondents.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data from the SERVQUAL questionnaires were analysed using the
appropriate statistical methods-descriptive and inferential statistics. The responses obtained from
respondents for each of the 22 questions is presented. The research ascertained what tourists
perceive about tourism in the Central region of Ghana. It also identified gaps between
expectations and perceptions. Tourists were asked to rank their perceptions and expectations in
relation to service quality with a five-point Likert scale. Scores for the above five dimensions of
SERVQUAL were also calculated and measured. The formula on perceived service quality,
developed by Parasuraman et al., (1985), was stated as follows:
Q (Quality) = P (Perceptions) – E (Expectations)

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By subtracting the perceived from the expected rating, the net satisfaction can be estimated
from the quality for each tourist as Lovelock and Wright, (2002) provided that after making
a purchase, customers compare the service expected to what is actually received.
A total of 200 questionnaires were fully completed and submitted by the respondents
(who were all from foreign countries) leading to the recording of a 100% response rate.
Section A: Demographic information about respondents
Table 1: Sex distribution of respondents in the survey
Frequency Percent
Valid Male 74 37.0
Female 126 63.0
Total 200 100.0
Source: Field Survey
The results from the table indicates that most of the respondents to the survey questionnaire are
Females representing 63% of the total 200 respondents whilst the remainder were Males
representing 37% of the total 200 respondents
Table 2: Age distribution of respondents
Age range Frequency Percent
Valid 15-20years 84 42.0
21-25years 92 46.0
26-30years 10 5.0
31-35years 2 1.0
above 40years 12 6.0
Total 200 100.0
The findings of the survey are presented on table 2. From the table, the majority of the
respondents were between the ages of 21-25(representing 46%), 42% between the ages of 15-
20 years, 5% between the ages of 26-30 years, 1% between 31-35years and 6% above 40 years.
Table 3: Level of education of respondents
Level of education Frequency Percent
Valid Elementary school 7 3.5
High school 9 4.5
College 41 20.5
University 143 71.5
Total 200 100.0

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The information as represented in table 3 indicates that 71% of the 200
respondents have university education, 20.5% of the 200 respondents have college
education whilst 4.5% and 3.5% of the 200 respondents have high school and elementary
education respectively.
Table 4: Nationality of the respondents
Nationality Frequency Percent
Valid African 7 3.5
North American 108 54.0
South American 10 5.0
European 70 35.0
Asian 5 2.5
Total 200 100.0
The information obtained from the data as represented in table 4 indicates that 54%
were North Americans whilst 3.5%, 5%, 35% and 2.5% were Africans, South Americans,
Europeans, and Asians respectively.
Section B: Service Quality Dimensions, Perceptions and Expectations of Tourists
Table 5: Measuring Service Quality on Tangible Dimension
Tangibles Perception Expectation Gap
Tour sites have modern looking equipment 3.1150 3.3550 -0.24
Tour sites have visually appealing facilities 3.4950 3.9400 -
0.445
Staff at tour sites appear neat
Materials associated with tour sites are
visually appealing
Total
3.8100
3.5650
13.985
4.1650
3.9200
15.38
-0.355
-0.355
-1.395
The findings on the Tangible dimension of the SERQUAL model are presented in
Table 5. A 5-point Likert Scale was rated on a continuum with the following codes to
survey the perception and intentions of the tourist regarding quality service delivery.
1-Strongly Disagree; 2-Disagree; 3-Uncertain; 4-Agree and 5-Strongly Agree

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The overall picture drawn on the summation of the mean scores of the 4 variable
measured on tourist’ perception of the quality service delivery by tourist is that, there is
service gap of 1.395 recorded between tourists’ perception and tourists expectation
On the individualized scores, it was found that, the respondents agreed that staff
at tour sites appear neat whenever they are at work, with a mean score of 3.8100 recorded
for their perception to that effect. However, the expectation mean score recorded was
bigger than the perception, recording 4.1650 mean score insofar as a minimum service
gap of -0.355 was recorded, signifying that even though tourists perceived the
appearance of staff as neat, they still feel that there is the need for more improvement.
As was held by Goetsch and Davis, (2003) customers will build relationships with
personnel in an organization who are knowledgeable, professional in appearance and
positive.
On the dimension of material associated with tour sites as being appealing, the
tourists’ expectations far exceeded their perception recording -0.355 gap. This implies
that materials associated with tour sites are somewhat not visually appealing and massive
improvement needs to be achieved
For the other dimensions under tangibles, the situation was not different. Tour sites
having modern looking equipment and tour sites having visually appealing material recorded a
mean of 3.1150 and 3.4950 respectively. The expectations of the tourists for the above
dimensions were 3.550 and 3.9400 resulting in a gap of -0.24 and -0.445 respectively. This
results indicates that there must be improvement in the materials associated with tour sites
Table 6: Measuring Service Quality on responsiveness dimension

19
Responsiveness
Staff at tour sites should be able to tell tourist
exactly when services will be performed
Perception
3.3250
Expectation
4.2650
Gap
-0.94
Staff at tour sites should give prompt services
to tourist 3.6650 4.1900 -0.525
Staff at tourist sites should be willing to help
tourist 3.8300 4.4550 -0.625
Staff at tour sites should never too busy to
respond to tourist
Total
3.660
14.38
3.7800
16.69
-0.12
-2.21
Table 6 shows that findings regarding the extent to which the respondents rated the
responsiveness dimension of service delivery of tour sites operators. The overall image
painted here indicates that the respondents perceived discrepancy between their
perception of quality service delivery and expectation in that, a negative gap of -2.21 was
recorded when the summation of the overall expectation (14.48) was subtracted from the
overall perception (16.69). This therefore means that, personnel at tour sites must check
the responsiveness variables and make amends to foster quality service delivery to tourist
to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run.
Table 7: Measuring Service Quality on Assurance Dimension

20
Assurance dimension
Behaviour of tour site staff instil in tourist
confidence
Perception
3.7950
Expectation
4.1000
Gab
-0.305
Staff at tour sites are consistently courteous
with tourist 3.8950 4.3200
-
0.425
Staff at tour sites have the knowledge to answer
tourist
Total
4.0400
11.73
5.7350
14.155
-1.695
-2.425
Four (3) statements were used to measure the assurance of the respondents as was
postulated by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry (1985) measured on a continuum of
where 1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-Uncertain, 4-Agree and 5-Strongly Agree.
The findings from the field survey are presented on Table 7. The overall
finding shows that, there is a service gap of -2.425 when the overall mean score of
tourists’ expectation (14.155) was subtracted from the overall mean score tourists’
perception (11.73) of the performance of the service quality delivery.
Table 7: Measuring Service Quality on Empathy dimension

21
Empathy dimension
Staff should give tourists individualized
attention
Perception
3.7800
Expectation
3.7900
Gab
-0.01
Tour sites should have opening hours
convenient to all
3.6200 3.8000 -0.18
Attendants at tour sites should have tourists
needs at heart
3.6300 3.9650 -0.335
Staff at tour sites should understand the specific
needs of tourists
Total
3.5550
14.585
3.9000
15.455
-0.345
-0.87
The researcher sought to measure the level of empathy based on the SERVQUAL model
on a 5 variables. A 5-point Likert scale was used to measure attitude of the respondents
in a continuum. The rate was measured as follows. 1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-
Uncertain, 4-Agree and 5-Strongly Agree.
The overall findings indicate that there is major service gap for this variable-
empathy- regarding the quality service delivery by tour sites because, substantial service
gap of -0.87 was recorded when the overall mean score of respondents’ perception
(15.455) was deducted from the overall expectation mean score of 14.585
Considering the individual variables making up the empathy dimension of service
quality, it was discovered that, the respondents agreed that your sites have opening hours
convenient to all tourists in that, a perception mean of 3.6200 was recorded accordingly.
This means, there tourist appreciate the operating hours of the University insofar as
service delivery is concerned. However, the respondents expect more improvement in
this variable-convenient operating hours open to all tourist- because, a mean score of
3.8000 was obtained to that effect. This led to this situation where a service quality gap of
-0.18 was recorded relating to the above mentioned statement.
The researcher also sought to measure the extent to which the respondents agree
that tour sites have tourist interest at heart and the result shows that the respondents
agreed to the said statement owing to the fact that a mean score of 3.6300 was obtained to
that effect. On the expectation side, a mean score of 3.9650 was obtained signifying the
respondents would be more delighted if something positive could be done the subject

22
matter. This automatically led to the situation whereby a service gap of -0.335 was
recorded.
The respondents further agreed that staff at tour sites understand their specific
needs in that a mean score of 3.5550 was recorded on the perception dimension. The
respondents in addition expect that much research and intelligence be carried out by the
institution to fully identify, anticipate and satisfy their-tourist-underlying needs that puts
them under constant question to seek services of the tourist site because, a mean score of
3.9000 was obtained on the expectation dimension of their attitude as measured by the 5-
point Likert scale. As a result of this, a service gap of -0.345 was record, when the
expectation score was subtracted from the perception score.
The respondents were asked to rate the extent to which they agree that staff of the
tourist sites give tourist individualized attention. The overall conclusion drawn from the
responses of the respondents suggest that the respondent are uncertain regarding this
variable since a mean score of 3.7800 was recorded on the perception criterion. This
finding was sharply contracted by the findings on the expectation mean score obtained
from the survey because, a mean of 3.7900 was recorded, which translates that the
respondents agreed that the staff at tour sites must give improved individualized attention
instead of focusing on groups.
Reliability
Promises by tour sites staff to do something
within Specific time should undertaken within
that time
Perception
3.3000
Expectation
4.2400
Gab
-0.94
Staff at tour sites should show genuine interest
in solving tourist problems
3.4750 4.3600 -0.885
Staff at tour sites should perform services
right at the first time
3.4850 3.8600 -0.375
our sites should provide services at the time it
promises to do so
Tour sites operators insists on error free
services
3.4650
3.1750
4.0950
4.0800
-0.63
-0.905

23
Total 16.9000 20.635 -3.735
The researcher sought to measure the reliability dimension of the SERVQUAL model
which measures the ability to perform service dependably and accurately. A 5-point
Likert scale was used to measure the attitude of respondents in continuum as the attitudes
were rated as follows. 1-Strongly Disagree, 2-Disagree, 3-Uncertain, 4-Agree and 5-
Strongly Agree.
At the individual variables level, it was recognized that the promises by tour site
operators to do something within a specific time was not undertaken within that time with
a mean score of 3.3000 for perception and a score of 4.2400 for expectation resulting in a
quality service gap of -0.94
On tour sites operators insisting on error free services a mean score of 3.4650 and
4.0950 was recorded for perception and expectation respectively resulting in a service
quality gap of -0.63
On staff at tour sites performing services right at the first time a mean score of
3.4850 and 3.8600 was recorded for perception and expectation respectively resulting in
a service quality gap of -0.375
On tour sites showing genuine interest in solving tourist problems a mean score of
On tour sites on proving services at the time it promises to do so a mean score of

24
Overall representations of service gab about the five dimensions in the SERVQUAL
model
From the table above, the dimension that tourist site operator lack is the dimension of
reliability followed by Assurance dimension, responsiveness dimension, tangibles
dimension and empathy dimension. Tourist attraction centres must ensure that they
improve upon their reliability in meeting the needs of tourists when they visit the
country for tourism
Nationality * how satisfied are you regarding service quality of Tourism in Ghana
How satisfied are you regarding service quality of tourism
in Ghana
Total
miserably somewhat
satisfactory
very
satisfactory
Delightful
African 0 0 0 7 7
North American 0 14 44 50 108
South American 0 0 10 0 10
European 6 39 25 0 70
Asian 0 5 0 0 5
Total 6 58 79 57 200
Source; field survey
On the level of satisfaction of the tourist with the services provided by tour sites in the central
region of Ghana 57 out of the 200 said they were delightful, 79 said their experience is
-4 -3.5 -3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0
tangibleness
responsiveness
Assurance
Empathy
Reliability
tangibleness
responsivene
ss
Assurance Empathy Reliability
Series1 -1.395 -2.21 -2.425 -0.87 -3.735
Total service gab for the five dimension

25
satisfactory whilst 58 and 6 said they were somewhat satisfactory and miserably respectively
On thr individual score from each continent 7 tourist from Africa said they were delightful whilst
14, 44 and 50 tourist from North America said they somewhat satisfied, very satisfied and
delightful respectively. 10 South Americans said they were very satisfied. 39 and 25 tourist from
Europe were somewhat satisfied and delightful. 5 Asians were somewhat satisfied
Implications
Based on the findings regarding the general and specific objectives of the study,
the following measures are recommended for the management of Tourist sites to deliver
matchless quality services to its students.
Tailored training programmes for the staff of the Tourist sites is highly
recommended for address the shortcomings. Since the challenges that limit delivery of
quality services are human content oriented, especially in the case of contact personnel
interactions with tourists at Tourist sites, the designing of training programmes to
specifically address the shortcomings the service delivery process would go a long way to
enhance quality services. By seeing employees as the conduit that transcends the actual
value to clients, it could be concluded that training and developing employees is seen as
strategic partnership that promote and sustain competitive advantage for the entire
organisation.
Training needs analysis (organizational analysis, task and role analysis and person
analysis) must be conducted to identify training gaps. Based on the findings of the
analysis, appropriate training design must be designed and fined tuned to the gaps
identified. Appropriate budget must be allocated for the training and development of its
staff. Instructors with the requisite experience must handle the training programme and
employees with identified gaps must be selected to undergo these training programmes.
Time management training programmes through seminars, conferences and mentoring is
recommended as the respondents said the staff of the institution do not give prompt
services to students. Short courses and on-the-job training is also recommended to cater
for the short term needs of the organisaion. Areas of the SERVQUAL model dimensions
needing immediate attention includes giving personalized attention to , providing
individualized attention to the tourist (empathy dimension), time management, show

26
genuine interest in solving tourist problems (reliability dimension) and providing prompt
services to tourist (responsiveness dimension. Once the training programmes have been
implemented given cognizance to time, the programmes must be evaluated to establish
whether the training has worked or not. This would in a way provide the means of
ensuring continuous service quality improvements for make customers more delighted.
Conducting customer research to identify customers’ pressing needs periodically
is also recommended. The institution can use its internal research units if any exist, to
conduct marketing research to aid in creating services that give customers value for their
money. The findings of these researches must be acted upon in terms of time and scope to
improve quality service to tourist and to industry at large.
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