I CAN’T GET NO SATISFACTION: OR CAN I? SATISFYING AUSTRALIAN WHALE WATCHING TOURISTS

Abstract

Satisfying tourists whilst also adhering to environmental regulations represents a continuous challenge for whale watching operators. Satisfaction is often conceptualised differently by academics and practitioners, and both the level of operator whale watching experience and government regulations at destinations can vary. This research seeks to identify how satisfaction significantly influences tourists’ socio-demographics, repurchase intentions and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) communication intentions at two Australian whale watching destinations that differ in their level of expertise in offering whale watching experiences. Multiple regression determined that most tourists were very satisfied with their whale watching experience and exhibited high repurchase and positive WOM communication intentions. At both destinations, individual satisfaction items predicted the most variance in repurchase intentions and positive WOM communication intentions, suggesting a holistic approach to satisfaction is not warranted when evaluating a whale watching experience. T-tests, chi-square tests and analysis of variance determined that tourists at each destination varied significantly in their age, education and origin. To provide a satisfying tourist experience and facilitate environment protection, these personnel must continue to offer high-quality services that guarantee whale sightings within a designated time period whilst also adhering to environmental regulations.