| dc.description.abstract | Providing high-quality services in game lodges promotes emotional satisfaction and, subsequently, favourable behavioural intentions, leading to enhanced business performance, including market share and profitability. Practical and empirical evidence has demonstrated that visitors have varying degrees of preferences that influence their expectations and satisfaction, which consequently affects their behavioural intentions. Previous studies have, however, paid more attention to the relationship between service quality and behavioural intention, giving little or no attention to emotional satisfaction. In light of this, this study sought to evaluate the mediating role of emotional satisfaction on the relationship between service quality and visitor behavioural intentions among different tourist markets patronizing game lodges in Kenya, taking the Maasai Mara National Reserve and its conservancies as a case study. Specifically, the study sought to establish key dimensions of service quality that influence tourists’ overall service quality perception, determine the influence of service quality on emotional satisfaction among tourists patronizing game lodges, determine the influence of service quality on tourists’ behavioural intentions of tourists; assess the mediating role of emotional satisfaction on the relationship between service quality and tourists’ behavioural intentions; and examine the moderating effect of tourists’ nationality on the relationship between service quality, emotional satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. The study population comprised 29 game lodge managers and 2,128,800 visitors. A sample size of 12 game lodge managers was purposively selected to participate in this study. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to obtain the sample size of 337 visitors from the different categories of star-rated game lodges. A mixed research approach was used in the study. Data was collected using structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The instruments were pre-tested for clarity, reliability, and validity. Data was analysed using a structural equation model (SEM) to test hypotheses and relationships among service quality, emotional satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. Thematic data and narrative analyses were used to analyse qualitative data obtained from the interviews. The study found that the overall service quality perception is influenced by customers’ assessment of service quality at different levels of service delivery. SEM results further established that the outcome service quality dimension played a more significant role in influencing the overall service quality (β=0.78, p<0.05), followed by physical environment quality (β=0.634, P<0.05) and interaction quality (β= 0.563, p< 0.05). The results support a positive and significant relationship between service quality and emotional satisfaction (T value = 6.886, p<0.05) and behavioural intentions (T=11.705, p<0.05). In addition, mediation results showed that customer emotional satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between service quality and behavioural intentions (z = 5.249, p < .05) while nationality had a significant moderating role in the relationship between service quality and behaviour (International tourist; β = 0.284. t-value = 6.605, p < 0.05; domestic tourist; β = 0.192. t-value = 3.536, p < 0.05). The study thus concludes that there is a significant relationship between service quality and behavioural intentions, moderated by tourists’ nationality and partially mediated by tourists' emotional satisfaction. Arising from the findings, the study recommends that the game lodge managers and owners focus on service quality dimensions important to visitors from different nationalities and comprehend their significance in influencing emotional satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Further comparable studies should be carried out in star-rated game lodges as well as unclassified lodges in other tourist regions in Kenya. | en_US |
