The psychology of greek tourists’ satisfaction: what are they looking for from their vacation, after the economic crisis?

Abstract

After a few years of downfall in the tourism rates of Greece, which followed the economic crisis of 2009, an increase has been finally observed during the last couple of years. However, this increase only refers to Greece’s inbound tourism; its domestic tourism rates remain 60% less than in 2008. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that significantly influence the feeling of satisfaction from vacation of Greek young and middle aged adults, in the broader context of increasing Greece’s domestic tourism. According to literature concerning the satisfaction process and the research about tourist satisfaction, a questionnaire was created aiming to examine which are the factors of this process that matter the most. It was found – among others – that online presence (for the pre-purchase stage), and the motive of rest and relaxation, the family as a companion on vacation and the prices (for the during the consummation stage) are factors of upmost importance for the satisfaction of Greek tourists. There results of this study have practical implications that concern Greek tourism businessmen that aim to boost their profitability.