Abstract

As company tours have become more popular and received much attention in Vietnam, it is a favorable chance for travel companies and agencies to gain more customers and profits. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of travel service quality, using SERVPERF assessment procedure, on word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviors of the whole organization through the mediation of perceived value and satisfaction, so that further recommendations would be suggested for tourism companies to improve their services. Quantitative approach was applied with questionnaire directly delivered to 300 small to medium-sized companies in Ho Chi Minh City which annually book tours for their staff. Although all variables were positively correlated, only four quality aspects (Empathy, Responsiveness, Tangibles, Assurance) had significant effects on other dependent variables; in particular, empathy was proven to have the most powerful impact on WOM with both direct and indirect effects. Guidelines for travel agencies were recommended; especially, activities which prioritized customers’ needs and fulfilled their requests were most emphasized.

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