Importance–performance analysis in tourism: A framework for researchers

Importance–performance analysis (IPA) is extensively used in hospitality and tourism research because of its simplicity. However, due to the lack of critical statistical analysis, the traditional IPA framework is compromised by serious reliability and validity issues. Although many researchers have tried to address these problems, a comprehensive framework to guide researchers through the various stages of IPA is still needed. This study offers a research framework and a straightforward guide for the use of IPA. Experimental surveys are conducted to validate the proposed research framework.

[1]  K. Mardia.  Measures of multivariate skewness and kurtosis with applications , 1970 .

[2]  Jacob Cohen.  Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences , 1969, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Research Design.

[3]  Steven A. Taylor.  Assessing regression-based importance weights for quality perceptions and satisfaction judgements in the presence of higher order and/orinteraction effects , 1997 .

[4]  N. Y. Siu,et al.  The impact of the servicescape on the desire to stay in convention and exhibition centers: The case of Macao , 2012 .

[5]  Yvonne von Friedrichs,et al.  An importance–performance analysis of sustainable tourism: A comparison between international and national tourists , 2013 .

[6]  Kye-Sung Chon,et al.  Formulating and Evaluating Tou Rism Policy Using Importance-Performance Analysis , 1989 .

[7]  D. Webber,et al.  Which exhibition attributes create repeat visitation , 2011 .

[8]  E. Anderson,et al.  The Antecedents and Consequences of Customer Satisfaction for Firms , 1993 .

[9]  Frank B. Guadagnolo,et al.  The Importance-Performance Analysis: An Evaluation and Marketing Tool , 1985 .

[10]  Ady Milman,et al.  Examining the guest experience in themed amusement parks , 2012 .

[11]  Detmar W. Straub,et al.  A Practical Guide To Factorial Validity Using PLS-Graph: Tutorial And Annotated Example , 2005, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[12]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  An assessment of the use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research , 2012 .

[13]  Ying-Feng Kuo,et al.  Revised importance–performance analysis: three-factor theory and benchmarking , 2008 .

[14]  S. Hollenhorst,et al.  Use of importance-performance analysis to evaluate state park cabins: the case of the West Virginia state park system. , 1992 .

[15]  A. Tversky,et al.  The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. , 1981, Science.

[16]  Haemoon Oh,et al.  Revisiting importance–performance analysis , 2001 .

[17]  Eleanor T. Loiacono,et al.  The Classification of Extranet Attributes in Terms of Their Asymmetric Influences on Overall User Satisfaction , 2013 .

[18]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  Classification of the destination attributes in the content of competitiveness (by revised importance-performance analysis) , 2012 .

[19]  Wendy Z. Hultsman.  From the Eyes of an Exhibitor , 2001 .

[20]  S. O’Leary,et al.  Ireland’s Image as a Tourism Destination in France: Attribute Importance and Performance , 2005 .

[21]  D. Brandt.  HOW SERVICE MARKETERS CAN IDENTIFY VALUE‐ENHANCING SERVICE ELEMENTS , 1988 .

[22]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  The asymmetric relationship between attribute-level performance and overall customer satisfaction: a reconsideration of the importance–performance analysis , 2004 .

[23]  Jesús A. Varela,et al.  An application of importance-performance analysis (IPA) to the management of sport centres , 2008 .

[24]  J. Lee,et al.  An Exploratory Study of Convention Destination Competitiveness from the Attendees’ Perspective , 2016 .

[25]  K. Bailey.  Methods of Social Research , 1978 .

[26]  Rex B. Kline,et al.  Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling , 1998 .

[27]  Thomas Black.  Doing Quantitative Research in the Social Sciences: An Integrated Approach to Research Design, Measurement and Statistics , 1999 .

[28]  S. Hudson,et al.  Measuring service quality at tourist destinations: An application of importance-performance analysis to an alpine ski resort. , 1998 .

[29]  E. Anderson,et al.  Strengthening the Satisfaction-Profit Chain , 2000 .

[30]  Jon M. Hawes,et al.  Using importance-performance analysis to develop health care marketing strategies. , 1985, Journal of health care marketing.

[31]  John A. Martilla,et al.  Importance-Performance Analysis , 1977 .

[32]  Eric Frauman,et al.  Gateway community resident perceptions of tourism development: incorporating importance-performance analysis into a limits of acceptable change framework. , 2011 .

[33]  J. Hair.  Multivariate data analysis , 1972 .

[34]  S. W. Litvin,et al.  E-Surveying for Tourism Research: Legitimate Tool or a Researcher’s Fantasy? , 2001 .

[35]  J. Crompton,et al.  The Predictive Validity of Alternative Approaches to Evaluating Quality of a Festival , 1995 .

[36]  D. Bacon.  A Comparison of Approaches to Importance-Performance Analysis , 2003 .

[37]  James J. Neutens,et al.  Research techniques for the health sciences , 1987 .

[38]  Alessandro Arbore,et al.  Rejuvenating importance‐performance analysis , 2011 .

[39]  Richard Stanley,et al.  Importance-Performance and Segmentation: , 1996 .

[40]  Shu‐Yuan Lin,et al.  Exploring the Relationship Between Hotel-Based Service Attribute Importance and Customer Satisfaction at International Conferences in Taiwan , 2010 .

[41]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  How to delight your customers , 1996 .

[42]  Wei Zhang,et al.  Applying Importance-Performance Analysis to Beijing as an International Meeting Destination , 1997 .

[43]  P. Danaher,et al.  Customer Satisfaction during the Service Delivery Process , 1994 .

[44]  R. Hambleton,et al.  Translating Tests: Some Practical Guidelines , 1996 .

[45]  M. Polonsky,et al.  Measuring expectations: forecast vs. ideal expectations. Does it really matter? , 2005 .

[46]  G. G. Ryzin,et al.  IMPORTANCE‐PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEYS , 2007 .

[47]  Ranjit Kumar,et al.  Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners , 1999 .

[48]  Xin Jin,et al.  A Cross‐Sector Evaluation of Service Quality in the Tourism Industry of Hong Kong: Importance vs. Performance , 2008 .

[49]  Josip Mikulić,et al.  Evaluating hotel animation programs at Mediterranean sun-and-sea resorts: An impact-asymmetry analysis , 2011 .

[50]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  The factor structure of customer satisfaction , 2002 .

[51]  J. L. Price,et al.  Handbook of Organizational Measurement , 1975 .

[52]  Susan A. Moore,et al.  Importance-satisfaction analysis for marine-park hinterlands: A Western Australian case study , 2007 .

[53]  P. Schofield,et al.  The dynamics of destination attribute importance , 2006 .

[54]  Jesús Varela Mallou,et al.  El análisis de importancia-valoración aplicado a la gestión de servicios , 2006 .

[55]  Hansruedi Mueller,et al.  Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry , 2001 .

[56]  Joanne Jung-Eun Yoo,et al.  Importance‐performance analysis with benefit segmentation of spa goers , 2010 .

[57]  A. Akin Aksu,et al.  Destination Choice: An Important - Satisfaction Analysis , 2007 .

[58]  D. Randall,et al.  Methodology in business ethics research: A review and critical assessment , 1990 .

[59]  Karin Weber,et al.  Service Quality Issues for Convention and Visitor Bureaus , 2001 .

[60]  Gordon P. Brooks,et al.  Initial Scale Development: Sample Size for Pilot Studies , 2010 .

[61]  Srikanth Beldona,et al.  Importance-Performance Analysis of Guest Technologies in the Lodging Industry , 2007 .

[62]  Marion Joppe,et al.  Toronto’s Image As a Destination: A Comparative Importance-Satisfaction Analysis by Origin of Visitor , 2001 .

[63]  G. O. Obonyo,et al.  An importance-performance analysis of food service attributes in gastro-tourism development in Western Tourist Circuit, Kenya , 2012 .

[64]  Robin N. Shaw,et al.  Convergent validity in tourism research: an empirical analysis , 1992 .

[65]  R. MacCallum,et al.  THE APPLICATION OF EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS IN APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: A CRITICAL REVIEW AND ANALYSIS , 1986 .

[66]  Hanquin Q. Zhang,et al.  Application of importance-performance model in tour guides’ performance: evidence from mainland Chinese outbound visitors in Hong Kong , 2004 .

[67]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  Importance-performance analysis revisited: the role of the factor structure of customer satisfaction , 2003 .

[68]  Steven Pike,et al.  Perceptions of visitor relationship marketing opportunities by destination marketers : an importance-performance analysis , 2012 .

[69]  Daniel J. Mount,et al.  Introducing the Relativity To Traditional Importance-Performance Analysis , 1997 .

[70]  W. Edwards.  The theory of decision making. , 1954, Psychological bulletin.

[71]  Martin O'Neill,et al.  Wine Production and Tourism , 2004 .

[72]  Jacob Eskildsen,et al.  Enhancing importance‐performance analysis , 2006 .

[73]  Ivan Ka Wai Lai,et al.  Perception of various performance criteria by stakeholders in the construction sector in Hong Kong , 2010 .

[74]  Weijaw Deng,et al.  Using a revised importance–performance analysis approach: The case of Taiwanese hot springs tourism , 2007 .

[75]  Edouard V. Novatorov,et al.  An importance-performance approach to evaluating internal marketing in a recreation centre , 1997 .

[76]  C. Ryan,et al.  Perceptions of Chinese Hotels , 2007 .

[77]  Clemens Reimann,et al.  Multivariate outlier detection in exploration geochemistry , 2005, Comput. Geosci..

[78]  W. Deng.  Fuzzy importance‐performance analysis for determining critical service attributes , 2008 .

[79]  Jerry J. Vaske,et al.  Enhancing Importance-Performance Analysis Through Segmentation , 2002 .

[80]  Jiunn-I Shieh,et al.  The development of a confidence interval-based importance-performance analysis by considering variability in analyzing service quality , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[81]  Qianzhen Cheng,et al.  Fuzzy importance-performance analysis of visitor satisfaction for theme park: the case of Fantawild Adventure in Taiwan, China , 2016 .

[82]  J. Vaske,et al.  Importance‐Performance and Segmentation: An Application at a Biosphere Reserve in Vietnam , 2009 .

[83]  Rosidah Musa,et al.  Application of importance‐performance analysis (IPA) to formulate customer satisfaction strategies in the direct sales industry in Malaysia , 2010 .

[84]  H. Kaiser.  An index of factorial simplicity , 1974 .

[85]  Wondwesen Tafesse,et al.  Importance Performance Analysis as a Trade Show Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking Tool , 2010 .

[86]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  Employee Satisfaction: Does Kano's Model Apply? , 2004 .

[87]  Paul D Jeanne Ellis Ormrod Leedy,et al.  Practical Research: Planning and Design , 1974 .

[88]  M. Browne,et al.  Alternative Ways of Assessing Model Fit , 1992 .

[89]  Philip Dearden,et al.  But are tourists satisfied? Importance-performance analysis of the whale shark tourism industry on Isla Holbox, Mexico. , 2012 .

[90]  Peter Filzmoser,et al.  Identification of Multivariate Outliers: A Performance Study , 2016 .

[91]  Timothy R. Hinkin.  A Brief Tutorial on the Development of Measures for Use in Survey Questionnaires , 1998 .

[92]  L. Beach,et al.  The service quality improvement strategy , 1995 .

[93]  Tat Y. Choi,et al.  An importance-performance analysis of hotel selection factors in the Hong Kong hotel industry: a comparison of business and leisure travellers , 2000 .

[94]  Jesús A. Varela,et al.  Importance values for Importance–Performance Analysis: A formula for spreading out values derived from preference rankings , 2007 .

[95]  G. Odekerken-Schröder,et al.  Store Satisfaction and Store Loyalty Explained by Customer- and Store-Related Factors , 2002 .

[96]  Mihae Jung,et al.  Determinants of Exhibition Service Quality as Perceived by Attendees , 2005 .

[97]  R. Johnston.  The determinants of service quality: satisfiers and dissatisfiers , 1995 .

[98]  Brian J. Mihalik,et al.  The Use of Importance-Performance Analysis as an Evaluative Technique in Adult Education , 1989 .

[99]  Chih-Hung Tsai,et al.  Using BPNN and DEMATEL to modify importance-performance analysis model - A study of the computer industry , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[100]  Gyehee Lee,et al.  Cross-cultural comparison of the image of Guam perceived by Korean and Japanese leisure travelers: Importance–performance analysis , 2009 .

[101]  Kurt Matzler,et al.  How to make product development projects more successful by integrating Kano's model of customer satisfaction into quality function deployment , 1998 .

[102]  Ugur Yavas,et al.  Importance‐Performance Analysis: : A Case Study in Restaurant Positioning , 1994 .

[103]  N. Kano,et al.  Attractive Quality and Must-Be Quality , 1984 .

[104]  P. Bentler,et al.  Comparative fit indexes in structural models. , 1990, Psychological bulletin.

[105]  P. Danaher.  Using conjoint analysis to determine the relative importance of service attributes measured in customer satisfaction surveys , 1997 .

[106]  Ross Taplin,et al.  The value of self-stated attribute importance to overall satisfaction , 2012 .

[107]  R. Nash,et al.  A critical evaluation of importance - performance analysis , 2013 .

[108]  William T. Ross,et al.  The Asymmetric Impact of Negative and Positive Attribute-Level Performance on Overall Satisfaction and Repurchase Intentions , 1998 .

[109]  Kuan-Yu Chen,et al.  Improving importance-performance analysis: the role of the zone of tolerance and competitor performance. the case of Taiwan's hot spring hotels. , 2014 .

[110]  A. Milman,et al.  Attendees' needs and service priorities in a large convention center: application of the importance-performance theory. , 2006 .

[111]  Patricia L. Janes,et al.  The Use of Importance Performance Analysis in the Hospitality Industry , 2003 .

[112]  B. Moyle,et al.  Visitors’ Perceptions of Tourism Impacts , 2013 .

[113]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  PLS-SEM: Indeed a Silver Bullet , 2011 .

[114]  A. Dolinsky,et al.  Adding a competitive dimension to importance-performance analysis: an application to traditional health care systems. , 1991, Health marketing quarterly.

[115]  Sylvia Smith,et al.  Culinary tourism: Satisfaction with a culinary event utilizing importance-performance grid analysis , 2009 .

[116]  Judy A. Siguaw,et al.  U. S. winter migrants' park community attributes: An importance–performance analysis , 2014 .

[117]  R. Rummel.  Applied Factor Analysis , 1970 .

[118]  M. Tarrant,et al.  The use of a modified importance-performance framework to examine visitor satisfaction with attributes of outdoor recreation settings , 2002 .

[119]  Martin O'Neill,et al.  Importance‐performance analysis: a useful tool for directing continuous quality improvement in higher education , 2004 .

[120]  Beheruz N. Sethna.  Extensions and Testing of Importance-Performance Analysis , 2015 .

[121]  Karin Weber,et al.  Meeting planners' perceptions of hotel-chain practices and benefits: An importance-performance analysis , 2000 .

[122]  Josip Mikulic,et al.  Accounting for dynamics in attribute-importance and for competitor performance to enhance reliability of BPNN-based importance-performance analysis , 2012, Expert Syst. Appl..

[123]  John L. Crompton,et al.  An Investigation of the Relative Efficacy of Four Alternative Approaches to Importance-Performance Analysis , 1985 .

[124]  Wen-Chin Chen,et al.  Back-propagation neural network based importance-performance analysis for determining critical service attributes , 2008, Expert Syst. Appl..

[125]  Alexandra Coghlan,et al.  Facilitating reef tourism management through an innovative importance-performance analysis method , 2012 .

[126]  Wen Pei,et al.  Fuzzy neural based importance-performance analysis for determining critical service attributes , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[127]  Nigel Slack,et al.  The Importance‐Performance Matrix as a Determinant of Improvement Priority , 1994 .

[128]  A. Israeli,et al.  Crisis management in the travel agency sector: A case study , 2011 .

[129]  P. Eagles,et al.  The Use of Importance–Performance Analysis and Market Segmentation for Tourism Management in Parks and Protected Areas: An Application to Tanzania's National Parks , 2003 .

[130]  Carl A. Boger,et al.  Association Planners' Satisfaction , 2000 .