Customer Satisfaction, Quality in Cruise Industry

Record numbers of passengers are sailing on board cruise ships, with the industry claiming high levels of customer satisfaction. Conversely, little is known about the specific factors which make up customer satisfaction with the cruise experience. The authors examine customer satisfaction data from nearly 15,000 guests of a large U.S. cruise line to determine which aspects of the cruise experience have the greatest impact on overall satisfaction and perceptions of quality.

How Do Tourist Guides Add Value to An Ecotour? Interpreting Interpretation in the State of Amazonas, Brazil

In Ecotourism, interpretation by a guide creates or shapes the experience for the tourist, differentiating one episode from another. As such, the guide S interpretation adds value to the tourism product and contributes to the visitor S experience. This paper discussed the role of interpretation by guides in the State of Amazonas, Brazil, finding in them patterns from which lessons may be drawn. Given the intangibility of the Ecotourism product, this paper argues that it is the guide who defines the quality of the product. The guide may draw the tourist toward or away from sustainable practices, and significantly contributes to the success or failure of the escotouristic venture. The State of Amazonas in Brazil already has guides, but this study questions their education and training in interpretive skills as well as their professional organization and working conditions