Investigating Factors of Customer Loyalty Formation for Wellness Spa

Marija Lakićević; Danijela Pantović; Aleksandra Fedajev

doi:10.7595/management.fon.2021.0031

Marija Lakićević University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2169-7575
Danijela Pantović University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8605-8614
Aleksandra Fedajev University of Belgrade, Technical Faculty in Bor, Serbia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6974-6631

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7595/management.fon.2021.0031

Abstract

Research question: The objective of this paper is to examine the level of the development of spa tourism with a special review of the wellness tourist offer of the Republic of Serbia, and also which factors of this tourist offer we should pay special attention to and improve, to achieve the highest level of tourist loyalty. Motivation: The tourism potential of the Republic of Serbia has not been sufficiently researched and that served as a basic motivational factor. Idea: Considering the tourist potential that Serbia has and partly the work of Han et al., (2017), the fact that spa tourism is the fastest-growing sector in the entire tourism industry, and that the wellness tourism offer is a very important segment of spa tourism, there is a need to identify factors that influence the visitors' loyalty formation for such tourist destinations. As the Republic of Serbia has a lot of wellness centres, it represents a very convenient location for conducting such research. Data: This research included 298 guests of wellness centres in Vrnjačka Banja: "Solaris", "Aleksandar", "Merkur", "Zepter", "Kralj", "Slatina" and "Iwa Wellness Centre". Data collection was performed during July and August 2019. Methods: The PLS-SEM method was used in this paper to test the defined research hypotheses. Factors that contribute to loyalty and revisit for the wellness and spa tourist destination were investigated, and they were measured by the appropriate number of questions: quality of wellness and spa tourism, the value of wellness and spa services, attraction of wellness and spa tourist destination and satisfaction with wellness and spa tourist destination. All attitudes were measured using a five-point Likert scale. Results: The quality and value of wellness and spa services positively impact the affection for wellness and spa tourist destination and satisfaction with wellness and spa tourist destination, while the attraction of wellness and spa tourist destination positively affects satisfaction with wellness and spa tourist destination and tendency to revisit by tourists. The existence of a positive influence of satisfaction with wellness and spa tourist destination and the desire to revisit the tourist loyalty formation was also shown. Contribution: Improving the quality, value, and effect with the Republic of Serbia as a wellness and spa tourist destination will increase the satisfaction of visitors and their desire to revisit this tourist destination, which will lead to greater loyalty in the future. This will increase the revenue generated from this type of tourism and accelerate local and regional development.

Author Biographies

Marija Lakićević, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia

Marija Lakićević has been working at Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja from its establishment, i.e., from 2011. Her first position was the assistant for a narrow scientific field of General Economics, and in 2013 she obtained the title of assistant professor, and in 2020, an associate professor also for the narrow scientific field of General Economics. She is the subject lecturer on the following teaching-scientific subjects: Basics of Hotel Management and Tourism (BAS), Tourist Transportation Management (BAS), Special Interest Tourism (BAS), Cultural Tourism (BAS) and Tourism and Space (DAS). She is a mentor for final theses on basic academic studies, as well as a member of numerous committees for final and graduate master theses. Marija Lakićević has published numerous scientific, authored and co-authored papers in the field of tourism.

Danijela Pantović, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia

Danijela Pantović holds a PhD degree in Economics, obtained at the Faculty of Economics, University of Kragujevac in 2021. She works as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Hotel Management and Tourism in Vrnjačka Banja, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. She has had a number of papers published in journals and international conferences proceedings. Her main areas of interest are Hotel Management and Tourism, Cultural Tourism and European Union Tourism.

Aleksandra Fedajev, University of Belgrade, Technical Faculty in Bor, Serbia

Aleksandra Fedajev holds a doctoral degree from the University of Kragujevac in the area of Economics and she received this scientific degree in the year of 2015. Since the year 2008, she has been working at the Technical Faculty in Bor, University of Belgrade and, now she is an associate professor, teaching the following subjects: Bases of business economy, Bases of market economy and Planning and control of costs. Her areas of interest are economic development, economic policy, business economics and business environment. She is the author or co-author of two books and numerous scientific papers in international and national journals, as well as in proceedings from international and national conferences.