An empirical analysis to investigate the influence of 5A’s on domestic tourists’ satisfaction in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Tourism is one of the enormous and emerging sectors in the world economy which contributes 10% to global gross domestic product. As an island Sri Lanka has great opportunities to promote tourism. Hikkaduwa is one of the eye catching areas which can be mesmerized both international and domestic tourists. Sri Lankan tourism industry is in a backward position in promoting domestic tourism. Under this backdrop this study seeks to investigate the Influence of 5A’s on Domestic Tourists’ Satisfaction in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka. The general objective of this study is to identify the Western province domestic tourists’ perception towards the satisfaction gained by 5A’s in Hikkaduwa. Furthermore, the study attempts to identify the factors that influence the Domestic Tourists’ Satisfaction in Hikkaduwa. The study adopted the convenience sampling technique to generate a sample of 485. The operational methodology for this study is a factor analysis which has three stages. First stage is the Exploratory Factor Analysis to identify the major factors that influence the domestic tourists’ satisfaction in Hikkaduwa. Second stage is the Confirmatory Factor Analysis to confirm the identified major factors from the Exploratory Factor Analysis. Finally, the Structural Equation Model to identify the relationships between the identified factors in the model. The study found that Accommodation, Amenities, Attractions, Accessibility and Activities influence the domestic tourists’ satisfaction in Hikkaduwa. Moreover, the study revealed that Accommodation, Amenities, Attractions, Accessibility and Activities have a significantly positive impact on domestic tourists’ satisfaction in Hikkaduwa. However, the activities impact 95% on domestic tourists’ satisfaction and it is the most crucial factor.