The prediction of rural tourist experience: investigation at the cultural village in Lesotho

Abstract

The development of various service quality models has been well researched, but they still need to be applied at a rural accommodation establishment in Lesotho is still lacking. Although there is consensus that service quality has a fundamental role in tourists' experience, there is a contentious debate that the tourist experience comes as a result of service experience. This has necessitated the adoption of SERVQUAL as an embedded theory to determine whether the scores on tourist safety are related to authenticity, brand personality, and brand attributes to predict the rural tourist experience at the Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. The study adopted a quantitative research method to analyse the statistical data using IBM SPSS V29. This study used CFA as a statistical technique to confirm the constructs in the measurement model of the Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. The results of the Pearson product moment correlation indicate the respective correlations between tourist safety, authenticity, brand personality and brand attributes (as independent/exogenous variables) and tourist experience (as dependent/endogenous variables). The SEM results confirmed the performance of the rural tourist experience prediction model at the Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village (as a structural model). This study developed a practical Rural Tourist Experience Prediction Model 1 (Rrtepm1b) for the Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. More research is needed to investigate these measurement models in contemporary tourism and hospitality studies. A unique combination of items, under the new latent variables, contributes to the existing body of knowledge. The results of this study have various implications for Lesotho tourism practices by helping executives and managers of accommodation establishments in the design of authentic tourism experiences that are responsive to their brand personality and the safety of tourists.

Die ontwikkeling van verskeie diensgehaltemodelle is goed nagevors, maar dit moet steeds by ’n landelike verblyfinstansie in Lesotho toegepas word. Alhoewel daar konsensus is dat diensgehalte ’n grondliggende rol in toeriste se ervaring speel, heers daar ’n omstrede debat dat die toeriste-ervaring voortspruit uit die dienservaring. Dit het die aanvaarding van SERVQUAL as ’n ingebedde teorie genoodsaak om te bepaal of die tellings vir toeristeveiligheid verband hou met outentisiteit, handelsmerkpersoonlikheid en handelsmerkkenmerke om die landelike toeriste-ervaring by die Thaba-Bosiu-kultuurdorp te voorspel. Die studie het ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsmetode gebruik om die statistiese data met behulp van IBM SPSS V29 te analiseer. Die studie het bevestigende data-analise as ’n statistiese tegniek gebruik om die konstrukte in die metingsmodel van die Thaba-Bosiu-kultuurdorp te bevestig. Die resultate van die Pearson-produkmomentkorrelasie dui op die onderskeie korrelasies tussen toeristeveiligheid, outentisiteit, handelsmerkpersoonlikheid en handelsmerkkenmerke (as onafhanklike/eksogene veranderlikes) en toeriste-ervaring (as afhanklike/endogene veranderlike). Die SEM-resultate bevestig die prestasie van die landelike toeriste-ervaringsvoorspellingsmodel by die Thaba-Bosiu-kultuurdorp (as ’n strukturele model). Die studie het ’n praktiese landelike toeriste-ervaringsvoorspellingsmodel 1 (Rrtepm1b) vir die Thaba-Bosiu-kultuurdorp ontwikkel. Meer navorsing is nodig om hierdie metingsmodelle in kontemporêre toerisme- en gasvryheidstudies te ondersoek. ’n Unieke kombinasie van items, onder die nuwe latente veranderlikes, dra by tot die bestaande kennisinhoud. Die resultate van hierdie studie het verskeie implikasies vir Lesotho-toerismepraktyke deur uitvoerende beamptes en bestuurders van verblyfinstansies te help met die ontwerp van outentieke toerisme-ervarings wat reageer op hulle handelsmerkpersoonlikheid en die veiligheid van toeriste.

Sekuye kwenziwa ucwaningo olunzulu mayelana nezinhlobo ezahlukene zokuphuculwa kweqophelo lezinsiza, kodwa lokhu kusafanele kwenziwe nasendaweni yokuhlalisa izivakashi esemakhaya eLesotho. Nakuba kunokuvumelana ngokuthi iqophelo lempatho linendima ebalulekile ekuphathekeni kwezivakashi, kunenkulumompikiswano mayelana nemiphumela yokuphatheka kwezivakashi ngokwezinga eziphatheka ngalo. Lokhu kwenze kwaba nesidingo sokuthi kwamukelwe i-SERVQUAL njengetiyori enqala yokunquma ukuthi imiphumela yokuphepha kwezivakashi ihlobene yini nobuqiniso, ukuhlinzekwa okutholayo kanye nomthelela wokuhlinzekwayo ukuze kuqagulwe impatho yezivakashi endaweni yasemakhaya i-Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise indlela yocwaningo lwezilinganiso ukuze kuhlaziywe imininingwane yezibalo ngohlelo lwe-IBM SPSS V29. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise i-CFA njengohlelo lwezibalo ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukwakheka kohlelo lwezilinganiso zase-Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. Imiphumela yokuhlotshaniswa komkhiqizo ngokwa-Pearson ikhombisa ukuhlobana phakathi kokuphepha kwezivakashi, ubuqiniso, ukuhlinzekwa okutholayo kanye nomthelela wokuhlinzekwayo (njengokuguquguquka okuzimele/okungaphandle) nokuphatheka kwezivakashi (njengokuguquguquka okuncikile/okungaphakathi). Imiphumela ye-SEM iqinisekisa ukuthi ukusebenza kohlelo lokuqagula ukuphatheka kwezivakashi endaweni yasemakhaya e-Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village (kungokohlelo lwezakhiwo). Lolu cwaningo luqhamuke ne-Rural Tourist Experience Prediction Model 1 (R rtepm1b ) esebenzayo e-Thaba-Bosiu Cultural Village. Lusaluningi ucwaningo olusadingeka ukuze kuphenywe lezi zinhlelo zezilinganiso ngaphansi kwezifundo zezokuvakasha nokwamukelwa kwezivakashi. Inhlanganisela yezinto eziyivelakancane, ngaphansi kokuguquguquka okusha, inomthelela olwazini lwezinto olukhona. Imiphumela yalolu cwaningo inemithelela eyahlukene kwezokuvakasha eLesotho ngokuthi isiza abaphathi nezimenenja zendawo yokuhlalisa izivakashi bakwazi ukuphucula kahle iqophelo lokuphatheka kwezivakashi likwazi ukumelana nalokho okuhlinzekwayo kanjalo nokuphepha kwezivakashi.