Assessing Tourist Satisfaction on Agro Tourism Attributes in Sri Lanka (With Special Reference to CIC Farm in Hingurakgoda and New Zealand Farm in Ambewela)
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Date
2016
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Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Agro tourism is an innovative agricultural activity which is related to both tourism and agriculture. Sri Lanka is very popular as an agricultural country in the Asian region. Today, agriculture and tourism in Sri Lanka are major elements in the economic development, acting as revenue generating industries with multiplier effects on the economy and significant employment capacity, which significantly contributes to GDP and rural income generation. Therefore developing agro tourism will be helped to increase the tourist arrivals and foreign exchange in Sri Lankan tourism industry. To develop the agro tourism, it is vital to identify the factors which are affecting to the satisfaction of the agro tourists who are coming to Sri Lanka. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate tourist satisfaction on agro tourism attributes. There are nineteen agro tourism attributes under five different aspects selected for the satisfaction measurement. The study has been conducted in two purposively selected agro tourism destinations in Sri Lanka. They are CIC farm in Hingurakgoda and New Zealand farm in Ambewela. According to the results it reveals that out of nineteen agro tourism attributes thirteen attributes emerge at the satisfied level and six were in moderately satisfied level. Further, the overall satisfaction level of tourists were at satisfied level. The possibility of revisiting the destination and recommending destination to other was high. However tourists have emphasized the necessity of improving appropriate educational programs, direct sales facilities, varieties in farm activities, increasing efficiency of staff members, upgrading quality of the farm products and hygiene and sanitation facilities and road conditions leading to the destinations in order to enhance the satisfaction of tourists. The findings of this research may be helpful in developing policy and promoting agro tourism in Sri Lanka.
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Hospitality, tourism And Events Management Degree Programme