Demographic Characteristics and Service Quality Perceptions in Game Lodges

Abstract

Customer demographic characteristics are key determinants of consumers’ behaviour and play an important role in differentiating customer needs and service quality perception. Providing high-quality services in game lodges promotes business performance, including market share and profitability. However, practical and empirical evidence has demonstrated that perception of service quality differs significantly between customers, leading to differences in their expectations and satisfaction, consequently affecting their behavioural intentions. Although several studies have reported the effect of demographic characteristics on service quality perception, few studies exist in the context of game lodges. Hence, this study investigated whether significant differences exist in service quality perception within demographic characteristics among visitors in game lodges. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to obtain a sample size of 337 visitors from the different categories of star-rated game lodges at Maasai Mara National Reserve and its conservancies in Kenya. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine whether there were significant differences in service perception within different demographic characteristics. The study found that nationality and age influenced service quality perception. The findings suggest that the game lodge managers should structure their services based on the visitors’ nationality and age. Moreover, the game lodge managers can use these findings to formulate a demographic-driven marketing strategy