A Study to Assess the Tourist Satisfaction Towards Marine Tourism (with Special Reference to Whale and Dolphin Watching at Trincomalee)
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Date
2015
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Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka
Abstract
Marine tourism is a niche tourism product and it can be identified as sustainable alternative to the tourism.During the last few decades,marine mammal based tourism has experienced a rapid growth in the tourism.Significantly,watching Whales and Dolphins have enjoyed phenomenal and growth and is one of the fastest-growing tourism products in the world.Being as an island,Sri Lanka has gained great potential for the marine tourism.But Sri Lanka has not yet reached for the harvesting the benefits from it.Utilization the true potentials of Whale and Dolphin watching tourism has to be developed and promoted within Sri Lanka.Therefore,assessing tourist satisfaction towards marine tourism is currently essential to the tourism industry in Sri Lanka.Therefore this study focusess to assess tourist satisfaction towards marine tourism with special reference Whale and Dolphin watching at Trincomalee area.A conceptual framework has been developed based on 6A's in tourism.The study mainly depends on the primary data that has been collected by the researcher through questionnaire and structured interviews and the purposive sampling method was used as a sampling technique to collect data from the 100 both local and foreign tourists who visited Whale and Dolphin watching at Trincomalee .Quantitative and Qualitative data analytical method was employed in analysing the data using descriptive analysis,correlation analysis and thematic analysis.Findings reflect that there is a positive relationship between all the destination attributes and tourist satisfaction towards marine tourism.Morover findings have been discovered innovative practices expected by tourists from their service providers in Whale and Dolphin watching industry.Findings suggest to implement expected innovative practices of tourists and rules and regulations for sustain the Whale and Dolphin watching tourism in Sri Lanka.
Keywords: Marine tourism, Whale and Dolphin watching, Tourist Satisfaction
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Hospitality, Tourism and Events Management degree programme (HTE)