A customer-focused approach to distribution : the case of SANParks

dc.contributor.authorDouglas, Anneli
dc.date.accessioned2016-11-17T09:32:11Z
dc.date.available2016-11-17T09:32:11Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractWhile the importance of distribution has been recognised in tourism literature, the research has been approached mainly from the perspective of supply, with very little attention given to the customer. To date, there has been even less focus on the distribution channel requirements of the National Park customers. The purpose of this study is to examine how the various distribution channels used by South African National Parks (SANParks) go towards satisfying the customers’ distribution channel requirements and identifying whether there is any relationship between certain variables, such as gender or the frequency of channel use, and the level of satisfaction that customers experience with the various channels. Web-based and paper-based questionnaires are distributed to the customers who have used the SANParks distribution channels before. The results show that, although the SANParks website is the most frequently used channel for making a booking, it is not necessarily the channel with which customers are most satisfied; in fact, they are more satisfied with the satellite walk-in reservation offices and satellite call centres. While the majority of the research studies in the context of tourism distribution channels have shown the importance and popularity of electronic distribution channels among customers, this paper cautions SANParks not to assume the distribution channel requirements of their customers and urges them to continually assess their distribution strategies and to become more customer-focused in their approach.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentTourism Managementen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2016en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.sajems.org/en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationDouglas, A 2016, 'A customer-focused approach to distribution : the case of SANParks', South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 413-431.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn1015-8812 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2222-3436 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.17159/2222-3436/2016/v19n3a8
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/58134
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherUniversity of Pretoria, Department of Economicsen_ZA
dc.rights© 2016 The Authors. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.en_ZA
dc.subjectChannel requirementsen_ZA
dc.subjectCustomer-focuseden_ZA
dc.subjectDistribution channelsen_ZA
dc.subjectSatisfactionen_ZA
dc.subjectSupplieren_ZA
dc.subjectSouth African National Parks (SANParks)en_ZA
dc.titleA customer-focused approach to distribution : the case of SANParksen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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