The impact of service quality and image of destination on revisit intention with mediating approaches of

e-WOM and satisfaction in Yangon, Myanmar

1. Research background and questions

1.1 Research background
Tourism is one of the most important sectors that affect the economic development for both developed and
developing countries (Esu et al.2010). In the modern lifestyle, tourism is a popular activity and has significantly
influenced to economy in some famous tourism destination area. The competition of each sector in this industry is
getting intensified more and more in few years. Visitation is very important in the tourism industry (Ayuningtiyas,
Nimran, & Hamid, 2014) and revisit intention is thought as one of the most vital issues in contemporary tourism
marketing (Wu, Ai, Yang, & Li, 2015). The challenge lies in encouraging the visitors to revisit the destination
(Ayuningtiyas et al., 2014). Prior to visiting, tourists create an image of the destination as well as a set of
expectations based on previous experience, word of mouth, news, advertising, and common beliefs (Chon, 1991;
Baloglu & Brinberg, 1997) which makes a destination different from the other. Therefore, the marketers or
destination managers are conducting the marketing strategies to stand out in the competitive markets in order to
lead the sustainable growth. Due to the increased competition among tourist destinations, determining travelers’
satisfaction and their intention to revisit and recommend the destination to others is important for marketers and
destination managers. After COVID-19 outbreak, the world considers health and safety security concerns as
primary and travel restrictions and bans have severely damaged tourism economy. Mostly destinations are
struggling to promote the tourism industry to recover as soon as possible by using all channels such as social
media, electronic media, etc. The future of tourism relies greatly on the capability of a country to offer highly
competent tourism products to satisfy continuously varying preferences, expectations, and the growing
requirements of worldwide tourists. In the tourism sector, it is essential to ensure that tourists revisit specific
places in the future, which depends on the first visit experience and attractions (Osman, Z., & Sentosa, I, 2013).
However, the ability of WOM is even higher than that of the commercial information produced or provided. WOM
marketing is a good way for the destinations to restore their image in times of crisis. Destination managers and
operators should actively use the virtual communities to improve the popularity of tourists’ WOM. For example, in
cooperation with “influencers,” a series of topic discussions could be launched under the organization of opinion
leaders to guide tourists to conduct WOM behavior. Promoting destinations without fixing the current problems
would cause negative word of-mouth communications due to the gap between the expectations and the actual
tourist destination performance. There have been few studies on the relationship between travel satisfaction and
behavior intent during the post-purchase destination selection process (Guntoro & Hui, 2013). Several studies have
used satisfaction component as the mediating role for post-purchase responses (Chen & Tsai, 2007; Namkung &
Jang, 2007; Tian-Cole et al., 2002). Numerous papers found that WOM is a significant moderating variable (De
Matos & Rossi, 2008; Kuo et al., 2013; Lin & Lu, 2010), which showed the moderating effect of positive WOM on
the relationship between trust and consumers’ purchase intentions, consumer inertia, and repeated purchases.
Destination service quality has been defined as a major tool that can be utilized in order to ensure tourist
satisfaction (Aldebi and Aljboory, 2018). For Tsaur et al. (2016) and Khan et al. (2017) destination service quality
refers to the difference between tourist’s expected and actual levels of service experience. It was generally
accepted that service quality is an outcome which represents a psychological state of the customer due to his or
her satisfaction or dissatisfaction with service consumption or experience. However, there are few studies
mediating approaches of e WOM between service qualities of destination and revisits intention. In the develop
countries like Myanmar, eWOM, which is directly impacting the tourist satisfaction which needs to be seriously
improved. The government and the private sector need to work together for this concern, and they need to use all
channels, which include print media, electronic media, and social media, for travelers’ reviews to attract tourists to
Myanmar. Therefore, Yangon, the commercial city of Myanmar which have the largest international entrance need
to prepare for welcoming the visitors again with the appropriate service quality on the way of tourism recovery. A
huge discrepancy exists in the tourist visit intention with effect of destination service quality, and this study will
attempt to measure tourist revisit intention with several variables.

1.2 Research questions

In Myanmar tourism, there is little published research focusing on destination service quality with mediating role
of word of mouth. The innovations and changes in technological fields, demographic transitions, and socio-
economic growth are dominating factors that create more involvement among different tourist destinations, which
have been increased optimistically during the present (Eugenio-Martin, J. L., Martín Morales, N., & Scarpa, R,
2004). Lack of consideration about quality of destination can lead to declining of generating positive WOM. In the
era of information technology, most tourists will investigate the destination prior the visit the destination and
decide to act out the intention when it has met their expectations or satisfied their needs of travel. Customer
satisfaction is an important issue because in the service industry customer retention is more important than
attracting new customers (Kim & Lee, 2011). This study attempts to mediate services provider organizations in
Myanmar, travelers, and policymakers to implement sustainable tourism. This study will conduct service quality of
destination with two mediating variables to revisit intention of tourists. The objective of this study is to examine
electronic word of mouth, tourism satisfaction as a mediator assists us with a better understanding of why and
how tourists’ intention can be improved by services. To understand which operational practices of service quality
should be used by DMO in the future. To understand the effective ways for building the tourists satisfaction to
promote the revisit intention through eWOM by enhancing the reputation of destination.

1.3 Significance of the study

1.3.1 Theoretical contribution
(1) Enrich the WOM marketing theories for the destinations with acting as a mediating variable.
In this study, under the scenario of revisit intentions will enrich the marketing theories by studying the impact of
destination service quality such as facilities, accessibility and attractions factors released by the e WOM platform
and the tourists’ satisfaction.
(2) Dig out an improved consideration of the principal mechanisms where tourists linked these approaches
with satisfaction.
Exploring the mediating effect of eWOM, tourism satisfaction in the relationship amid destination image, tourists’
loyalty, and intention to visit. In this research provides an improved consideration of the principal mechanisms
where tourists linked these approaches with satisfaction and recognized that destination image encourages
tourists’ feelings of satisfaction, and eWOM by exhibiting the precedents that eventually improves tourist
satisfaction level and revisits the promise of loyalty with them. This study will be participating as a theoretical
contribution to the tourism literature, as well as playing a map role for new scholars.
1.3.2 Practical contribution
(1) Provide rational suggestions for destination marketer to promote tourists visit intention
Tourists will judge that the quality is high if perceived value meets their expectations, and the showed that service
quality as a fundamental feature influence a traveler’s willingness to pay monetary and behavior prices. The WOM
marketing strategy used in tourism and service studies may be identified as a share of information and opinions
that will direct potential or future tourists from specific tourism services, brands and products when making a
purchase or revisit decision. To support these ideas, destinations managers are advised to increase the overall
service quality in order to improve the perceived value and customers’ WOM, which in turn encourage customers
to desire to increase their willingness to revisit or their repurchase intention. (Liu and Lee ,2016). Due to the
increased competition among traveler destination, determining their satisfaction and its influence on revisit and
recommendation to others is important for marketers and destination managers. In addition, as service quality
increases, WOM and the willingness to recommend others to use the service increase. Modelling of service quality,
the mechanism of perceived quality and the marketing strategy of passengers and travelers compose individuals’
expectation and value evaluation process.

(2) Clarify the impact of service quality and destination-related factors on tourist satisfaction, which in turn
play an important role in the activation of Myanmar tourism.
There is no doubt that tourism is critical factor in the economic development of any country (Esu et al., 2010). One
of the most important positive effects of the tourism sector that it contributes to the alleviation of unemployment
in the country (Martín and Del Bosque, 2008), therefore, improving the tourism sector's output and stimulating it
will enhance economic growth of tourism in Myanmar.
(3) The tourism marketing authorities could adopt a new marketing idea.
Variety of marketing strategies should be launched to promote tourists’ WOM behavior. Second, the travel
agencies
in Southern Xinjiang can establish tourist files to strengthen the management of tourist relations and keep in
touch with tourists through SMS and email. Tourism operators can provide bonuses, gifts, coupons, and other
material incentives to encourage tourists to spread WOM, in the context of highly developed social media, tourist
destination managers and operators should actively use the virtual communities formed by people to improve the
popularity of tourists’ WOM.
2. Literature review
There are previous studies based on word of mouth play the mediating role in the relationship between
destination image and intention to visit (Xu, F., Niu, W., Li, S., & Bai, Y,2020, Setiawan, P. Y., Troena, E. A., &
Armanu, N., 2014, Soleimani, A. G., & Einolahzadeh, H.,2018). It is discussed in tourism services literature that
eWOM has an encouraging impact on visiting attractions and satisfaction and eWOM can reduce the cost of
advertising or promotion to attract people by providing services in a better way. Prior research has suggested that
a favorable destination image produces higher tourist satisfaction. eWOM is an essential means where people can
gain or share information regarding their own interests, which includes service quality, brand products, traveling
experiences, and food.(Chevalier, J. A., & Mayzlin, D,2006).

2.1 E WOM
WOM refers to verbal interpersonal communication between the giver and the receiver, and the receiver believes
that the giver’s WOM about a brand, product, or service is noncommercial (Arndt,1967). WOM is regarded as a
functional means of information that assists the public to assess the service quality, by either attracting or
detracting their intentions to use them (Jalilvand, M. R., Samiei, N., Dini, B., & Manzari, P. Y,2012).The advanced
level of WOM is an electronic WOM (eWOM) that is currently being spread by different platforms, and it is even
more helpful to assess tourism services (Litvin, S. W., Goldsmith, R. E., & Pan, B. ,2008). eWOM is an essential
means whereby people can gain information regarding their own interests, such as service quality, brand products,
traveling experiences, and food (Chevalier, J. A., & Mayzlin, D,2006). The modern era is considered as a global
village, and information is acquired with a single click (Kanwel, S., Lingqiang, Z., Asif, M., Hwang, J., Hussain, A., &
Jameel, A, 2019). There is an association between purchase intention, brand trust, and e WOM, but the direction
of e WOM will decrease or increase the trust impact on purchase purposes (Su, L., Hsu, M. K., & Swanson, S,2017).
Tourists who experience satisfactory traveling services and destination attributes can be a source of motivation for
their families and friends through their persuasive WOM, and they would have more intentions to visit the same
destinations again. WOM is regarded as a functional means of information that assists the public to assess the
service quality, by either attracting or detracting their intentions to use them (Jalilvand, M.R.; Samiei, N.; Dini, B.;
Manzari, P.Y,2012). Through the Internet, individuals can make their ideas and opinions more easily accessible to
other Internet users (Dellarocas, 2003). Online user-generated reviews about travel destinations, hotels, and
tourism services have become important sources of information for travelers (Pan, MacLaurin, & Crotts, 2007),
Online user-generated reviews about travel destinations, hotels, and tourism services have become important
sources of information for travelers (Pan, MacLaurin, & Crotts, 2007), with reports indicating that each year
hundreds of millions of potential visitors consult online reviews (Tripadvisor.com, 2011).

2.2 Satisfaction and its dimension

Tourist’s satisfaction is a vital component in all organization’s policies in tourism industry because tourist’s
satisfaction can give impact toward the future of the service provider especially in a tourist destination that
provides the visitor with experience and services (Maruthaiah & Rashid, 2014). Tourist’s satisfaction is also one of
the important keys to engaging the tourist to the destination so that they will revisit and stay loyal to that
destination (Zeithaml et al., 1996).Tourists who experience satisfactory traveling services and destination
attributes can be a source of motivation for their families and friends through their persuasive WOM, and they
would have more intentions to visit the same destinations again.

2.3 Destination Service quality and its dimension

Quality was defined within the tourist destination environment and customer satisfaction as a tool that makes the
tourist satisfied with the destination environment (Aldebi and Aljboory, 2018). Destination quality as tourists
perceptions of destination performance to meet their needs and expectations (Tsaur et al, 2016). Previous studies
suggest that improved service quality increases profitability and long term economic competitiveness of the
tourism business (W.A.D.S.Wijetunge2016,TungZong Chang ,Su-Jane Chen 1998). Destination service quality is
created by the processes of service delivery, such as friendliness, politeness, and efficiency and results the quality
of services such as accommodation, food and leisure facilities (Zabkar et al.,2010; Gallarza et al., 2013; Ramseook-
Munhurrun et al., 2015). A tourism product is a bundle of elements such as accommodation, food and
entertainment at destination level (Zabkaret al., 2010). The tourists have experiences with destinations and their
perceptions are influenced by destination facilities, destination accessibility and destination attraction (Chen &Tsai,
2007; Al-Ababneh, 2013). Several researchers suggest that service quality should be based on a multi-dimensional
and hierarchical concept (Brady & Cronin, 2001; Clemes, Brush,& Collins 2011a; Clemes, Gan, & Kao, 2007; Clemes,
Gan, & Ren, 2011b;Clemes, Wu, Hu, & Gan, 2009; Dabholkar, Thorpe, & Rentz, 1996;Wu,2014;Wu & Hsu,
2012;Wu&Ko,2013;Wu&Li,2015; Wu, Lin, & Hsu, 2011). A large number of researchers have showed that
environmental quality is one of the most important aspects in customer evaluations of service quality (Howat et al.
1996; McDougall & Levesque, 1994; Rust & Oliver, 1994; Wakefield, Blodgett, & Sloan, 1996). Quality of service can
also distinguish between the expectations of customers who received and perceived service from a particular place
(Kuo, Wu, & Deng, 2009). For customers, service quality is the most important factor in referring to a service unit.
Delivering services with high quality is considered as an essential strategy for success and survival in today’s
competitive tourism environment (Zeithaml et al., 1996; Dawkins & Reichheld 1990; Parasuraman et al., 1985;
Zeithaml et al., 1990).

2.4 Visit intention

Destination marketers are interested in understanding the drivers of tourist intention to revisit, because the cost of
retaining re-visitors is much less than the cost of attracting new visitors (Um, Chon, & Ro, 2006).
Several scholars have indicated that destination image, eWOM, tourist satisfaction, and intention to visit are
strongly connected with each other, and they additionally stated that for the flourishing of tourism, tourist visits
should be enhanced or attracted through positive destination image, eWOM, and tourist satisfaction (Han, H., &
Ryu, 2009).