Is preservation the key to quality and tourists’ satisfaction? Evidence from Lake Garda

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Is preservation the key to quality and tourists’

satisfaction? Evidence from Lake Garda

Gianluca Goffi , Linda Osti , Consuelo R. Nava , Oswin Maurer & Tonino

Pencarelli

To cite this article: Gianluca Goffi , Linda Osti , Consuelo R. Nava , Oswin Maurer & Tonino Pencarelli (2020): Is preservation the key to quality and tourists’ satisfaction? Evidence from Lake Garda, Tourism Recreation Research, DOI: 10.1080/02508281.2020.1795591

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2020.1795591

Published online: 12 Aug 2020.

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Is preservation the key to quality and tourists’ satisfaction? Evidence from Lake

Garda

Gianluca Goffi a, Linda Osti a, Consuelo R. Nava b, Oswin Maurer aand Tonino Pencarelli c

a

Faculty of Economics and Management, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy;bDepartment of Economics and Political Sciences, University of Aosta Valley, Aosta, Italy;cDepartment of Economics, Society and Politics, University of Urbino, Urbino, Italy

ABSTRACT

This study empirically examines the effect of the preservation of local resources on the perceived quality of tourism resources and tourists’ satisfaction. A quantitative questionnaire was developed and administered to tourists on Lake Garda, the second most visited Italian destination. Through a structural equation model, we show that the perceived quality of tourism resources is affected by the preservation of local resources, which in turn influences tourists’ satisfaction. This outcome underscores the importance of preservation of local resources as a key to adding value to visitors’ experiences. Indeed, given that quality and preservation are connected constructs, the preservation of local resources should be a top priority in tourism development and management.

ARTICLE HISTORY

Received 30 March 2020 Accepted 9 July 2020

Introduction

The quality of tourism resources has been considered a key element of the destination appeal in the major des-tination competitiveness models (Crouch and Ritchie,

1999; Dwyer & Kim, 2003; Enright & Newton, 2004; Heath, 2002). Landscapes and natural environments, unique heritage sites and authentic local cultures are ‘the primary elements of the destination appeal. These factors are the key motivators for visitation to a destina-tion’ (Crouch and Ritchie,1999, p.146).

Among the most significant negative effects of tourism are the exploitation and degradation of environ-mental and cultural resources (Archer et al.,2005). The United Nations Environment Programmes and the World Tourism Organization recognized the preservation of natural and cultural resources as a central factor in destination development and stressed the centrality of tourists’ perspectives in the sustainability discourse (UNEP and WTO,2005). The preservation of natural and cultural resources, when considering destinations, is one of the main pillars of sustainability concept. (Mihalic,2016).

A further element that can contribute to the preser-vation and authenticity of local resources is the availability of local products (Sidali et al., 2015). Sims (2009, p. 333) argued that specific places and local products are directly connected and the local products‘can assist the develop-ment of sustainable tourism in a number of ways’. Local

food products help preserve and protect agricultural resources and businesses in the local communities (Buller & Morris,2004). The novelty of our approach is to consider local products, together with environmental and cultural preservation, as a key component of the pres-ervation of local resources.

Despite the wide ranging tourism literature that focuses on sustainability issues, some observed short-comings are noteworthy. There is still a lack of guidance in the tourism literature in understanding the relation-ships between preservation of local resources, perceived quality of tourism resources, and tourists’ satisfaction. First, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no studies to examine the preservation of local resources and the quality of tourism resources jointly. This is still an under-investigated area of study. Second, most of the studies focus either on environmental or cultural preservation – they are mostly applied to protected areas and heritage sites– and neglect the role played by local products in contributing to the preservation of local resources. Third, sustainability discourses are centrated on the supply side and do not adequately con-sider the demand side.

This paper intends to contribute tofilling this research gap by investigating whether the perceived quality of tourism resources is affected by the preservation of local resources, and whether tourists’ satisfaction is influenced by the perceived quality.

© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

CONTACT Gianluca Goffi gianluca.goffi@unibz.it Faculty of Economics and Management, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Piazzetta dell’Università, 1, 39031, Brunico, Bolzano, Italy

Research hypotheses

A link between theoretical studies and empirical evi-dence is paramount in sustainability analyses (Saarinen,

2006). This study is intended to be empirical rather than conceptual. Testing research hypotheses allows to advance beyond rhetoric. Hence, in this paper, a quanti-tative research approach is employed, and appropriate research hypotheses are tested.

The interrelationship between environment and culture has long been recognized in social anthropology studies (Milton,1996). ‘Preserving our heritage, improv-ing our environment’ is the title of the two-volume report published by the European Commission, which presents the results of 20 years of supporting specific projects (European Commission,2009). The preservation of natural and sociocultural assets affects destination competitiveness of small and medium Italian desti-nations (Cucculelli & Goffi, 2016). They also have an impact on the competitiveness of large destinations in developing countries (Goffi et al.,2019b). Environmental and sociocultural preservation are seen as important attributes by tourists when visiting cities (Sörensson & von Friedrichs, 2013); however, they also influence tourists’ satisfaction and the intention to return to the same coastal destination (Goffi et al., 2019a; Solís-Radilla et al., 2019). Hence, the following hypothesis can be formulated:

H1: Preservation of local resources affects the perceived quality of tourism resources.

Increased attention has been given, both in the mar-keting and in tourism studies, to local products (Pencar-elli et al., 2018; Sims, 2009). Tourists have shown an increasing interest in local culinary products (Madaleno et al.,2017). Kastenholz et al. (2016) demonstrated that local products represent a relevant proportion of visitors’ expenditures and are positively correlated with tourists’ satisfaction as well as their intention to return. Quadri-Felitti and Fiore (2013) documented the relevance of the experiences connected to wine consumption, affecting visitors’ satisfaction and loyalty to destinations. Moreover, Folgado-Fernández et al. (2019) showed the importance of olive oil in defining the identity of a terri-tory and in influencing overall tourism experience and loyalty to the destination. Thus the following can be hypothesized:

H2: Availability of local products affects the perceived quality of tourism resources.

Crouch and Ritchie (1999, p. 146) define local tourism resources as‘the fundamental reasons that prospective visitors choose one destination over another’. In their

well-known model of destination competitiveness, they considered local tourism resources as ‘core resources and attractors’. Dwyer and Kim (2003) labelled them ‘endowed resources’, distinguishing between natural and heritage/cultural assets; they included historic, artis-tic and cultural destination features into the heritage/cul-tural category, along with cuisine variety. Heath (2002) incorporated local resources into the group of key desti-nation attractors and argued that they represent a foun-dation of destination competitiveness. Mihalič (2013) moved from the conceptual framework of the above models to the empirical level and showed that cultural and natural resources have an impact on tourists’ satis-faction. Following these considerations, our third hypothesis is

H3: The perceived quality of tourism resources affects tourists’ satisfaction.

Methods

Data on tourists was collected via survey method in Riva del Garda between April and August 2019. Visitors were personally contacted at the end of their vacation period. A total of 412 tourists answered the survey. As shown in

Table 1, the sample was almost equally distributed

between genders, education levels (university/non-uni-versity degree), and age groups (under 30, 30–55, over 55). During their stay, 45% of the tourists spent 3–4 nights in Riva del Garda, another 20% spent 1–2 nights. Almost half of the respondents (195) were from Germany and one quarter from Italy.

Table 1.Sample descriptive statistics.

Gender Whom are you travelling with?

Female 210 Alone 35

Male 201 With friends 133

Age With my partner 119

Under 30 123 With my partner and children 49

30–40 87 With family and friends 57

41–55 87 Other 19

Over 55 132 How long do you stay in Riva del Garda?

Level of Education 1–2 nights 83

Elementary/middle school 20 3–4 nights 188 Non-university higher

education

184 5/7 nights 82

University education 208 8/15 nights 47 What is your employment

status?

16/30 nights 12

Student 64 31 or more 0

Not studying not working 11 How many times have you visited Riva del Garda?

Working 269 It is thefirst time 107

Retired 68 Second time 131

How many people are travelling with you?

Third time 73

Nobody 34 More than three times 101

One 126 Country of residence

Two 73 Italians 108

Three or more 147 Other European Countries 304 2 G. GOFFI ET AL.

The questionnaire was done in three languages (Italian, German and English). Tourists were asked to rate the destination’s performance according to attri-butes measuring the quality and the preservation of local resources on a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1‘very low’ to 5 ‘very high’).

Two latent variables, ‘environmental and cultural preservation’ and ‘quality of tourism resources’, were estimated by using a structural equation model (SEM) based on the observed information used to describe tourists’ satisfaction. While environmental and cultural preservation are directly affected by public decisions, tourism policy can only act as a stimulus to promote and support local producers. That is the reason why the item‘local products’ is con-sidered separately.

A preliminary outlier analysis was performed to avoid biases in the SEM estimates or poor model performances, leading to a sample dimension of 334 respondents.

The case study

Lake Garda was chosen as an exemplary case, as it is one of the most visited Italian destinations with characteristic landscapes, a rich cultural and historical heritage, and a wide range of local products (including local species of fish, wines, liquors, olive oils, truffles, citrus and other fruits). A leading U.S. wine magazine recently rated Lake Garda as one of the ten ‘Best wine travel desti-nations’ worldwide: ‘Besides olive and lemon trees, which are unusual this far north, the region is carpeted with vineyards and is home to some of the country’s classic wines. With good weather, quaint lakeside towns, ancient ruins, medieval castles and magnificent views, Lake Garda is a haven for those who love good food, great wine, watersports and history’ (Wine Enthu-siast Magazine,2020).

Lake Garda is one of the leading destinations in Italy and the largest Italian lake. In 2017, Lake Garda recorded 24.6 million overnight stays, making it the second most

visited destination in Italy, after Rome with 26.9 million1(Table 2). Lake Garda received more than twice the number of tourists than Florence, Venice and Milan (10–11 million), accounting for 5.9% of all overnight stays in Italy. 7 of the 50 most visited and 9 of the 50 most tourism-intensive destinations in Italy are located on Lake Garda (Istat,2018).

Data was collected in the town of Riva del Garda, one of the most visited destinations on Lake Garda, and the 32nd most visited Italian destination (Istat,2018). With a population of 17,190 inhabitants, Riva del Garda is situ-ated in the north-western corner of the lake, in the Tren-tino Alto Adige region. In 2018, 444,610 tourists visited Riva del Garda; they were mostly foreign, with a high pro-portion of Germans (45% of the total number of visitors) (Garda Trentino,2018).2

Results

Environmental preservation (3.66, on a 5-point Likert scale), cultural preservation (3.69) and local products (3.79) obtained the lowest performance scores among the six attributes of destination attractiveness, whereas the quality of tourism resources – natural resources (4.31), gastronomy (4.17) and cultural resources (3.95)– received a higher ranking (Table 3).

Table 4shows the obtained estimates under the SEM

model proposed inFigure 1. Thefirst latent destination variable‘environmental and cultural preservation’ is rep-resented by two measured variables: cultural (1.00) and environmental (0.802) preservation. A second latent

Table 3.Descriptive analysis results.

Performance

Mean St. dev.

Quality of natural resources 4.31 0.67

Quality of gastronomy 4.17 0.85

Quality of cultural resources 3.95 0.81

Local products 3.79 0.76

Cultural preservation 3.69 0.83

Environmental preservation 3.66 0.85

Table 2.Overnight stays at Lake Garda, year 2017.

Italian top 5 destinations Overnight stays Overnight stays % Italy

Rome 26,944,569 6.4 Lake Garda 24,618,098 5.9 Milan 11,852,973 2.8 Venice 11,685,819 2.8 Florence 10,056,157 2.4 Italy Total 420,629,155 100

Lake Garda Overnight stays Total Domestic tourists International tourists From Germany

Lake Garda, Veneto Region 13,368,221 2,048,913 11,319,308 5,893,760

Lake Garda, Trentino Region 3,561,353 684,931 2,876,353 1,676,360

Lake Garda, Lombardia Region 7,688,524 1,421,441 6,267,083 3,386,934

variable, the‘quality of tourism resources’, is represented by three observed variables: the evaluation of the quality of natural resources (1.00), cultural resources (0.995) and gastronomy (1.113). We also considered two other vari-ables:‘tourists’ satisfaction’ and ‘availability of local pro-ducts’. We hypothesized that ‘tourists’ satisfaction’ is a function of an individual perception of the ‘quality of tourism resources’ (0.745). Quality of tourism resources, in turn, is determined by an individual’s perception of the ‘environmental and cultural preservation’ (0.316) and by an evaluation of the‘availability of local products’ (0.182). All the standardized estimates for path coe ffi-cients (reported in parentheses) are positive and statisti-cally significant.

SEM results confirm the first hypothesis, since the path from the latent construct ‘preservation of local resources’ and ‘quality of tourism resources’ is statisti-cally significant (seeFigure 1). There is also an important relationship between‘availability of local products’ and ‘quality of tourism resources’, thus confirming the second hypothesis. Moreover, SEM results reveal a posi-tive and noteworthy relationship between ‘quality of tourism resources’ and ‘tourists’ satisfaction’, hence confirming the third hypothesis.

Table 5reports the reliability of both the model and

the latent variables. Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated for each latent component, showing that they and the overall model are reliable (Cronbach’s Alpha is always Table 4.SEM estimates (latent variables =∼, regressions ∼ and (co)variances ∼∼).

Left-hand side Op Right-hand side Estimate Standard error Z statistics P-value Ci.lower (99%) Ci.upper (99%) Preservation of local resources =∼ Cultural_preservation 1.000 0.000 1.000 1.000 Preservation of local resources =∼ Environmental_preservation 0.802 0.083 9.693 0.000 0.589 1.015

Availability of local products =∼ Local_products 1.000 0.000 1.000 1.000

Quality of tourism resources =∼ Quality of natural resources 1.000 0.000 1.000 1.000 Quality of tourism resources =∼ Quality of cultural_resources 0.995 0.089 11.240 0.000 0.767 1.223 Quality of tourism resources =∼ Quality of gastronomy 1.113 0.098 11.396 0.000 0.861 1.364 Quality of tourism resources ∼ Preservation of local resources 0.316 0.079 3.989 0.000 0.112 0.520 Quality of tourism resources ∼ Availability of local products 0.182 0.054 3.388 0.001 0.044 0.320 Tourists’ satisfaction ∼ Quality of local resources 0.745 0.089 8.407 0.000 0.516 0.973 Cultural_preservation ∼∼ Cultural_preservation 0.155 0.028 5.485 0.000 0.082 0.227 Environmental_preservation ∼∼ Environmental_preservation 0.226 0.024 9.417 0.000 0.164 0.288

Local_products ∼∼ Local_products 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

Quality of natural resources ∼∼ Quality of natural resources 0.149 0.017 8.982 0.000 0.106 0.192 Quality of Cultural_resources ∼∼ Quality of cultural_resources 0.179 0.019 9.691 0.000 0.132 0.227 Quality of gastronomy ∼∼ Quality of gastronomy 0.207 0.022 9.418 0.000 0.151 0.264 Preservation of local resources ∼∼ Preservation of local resources 0.297 0.042 7.141 0.000 0.190 0.404 Availability of local products ∼∼ Availability of local products 0.444 0.034 12.923 0.000 0.355 0.532 Quality of tourism resources ∼∼ Quality of tourism resources 0.115 0.018 6.393 0.000 0.069 0.161 Tourists’ satisfaction ∼∼ Tourists’ satisfaction 0.284 0.024 11.809 0.000 0.222 0.345 Preservation of local resources ∼∼ Availability of local products 0.237 0.028 8.582 0.000 0.166 0.308

Quality of Natural Resources Quality of Cultural Resources Tourists' Satisfaction

Figure 1.SEM results. 4 G. GOFFI ET AL.

greater than 0.70). This is confirmed also by the average variance extracted (AVE) which is always above 0.50 as suggested, for instance, by Hair et al. (2010). The McDo-nald’s omegas, which take into account the strength of association between items and construct item-specific measurement errors, are also above the 0.70 threshold. Thus the overall model, as well as latent components, have a high degree of reliability.

From Table 6, the goodness of fit indexes indicates

that the measurement model exhibits an acceptablefit compared to thresholds commonly considered in the lit-erature. The Chi square is statistically significant. However,‘for models with about 75–200 cases, the Chi square test is generally a reasonable measure offit. But for models with more cases (400 or more), the Chi square is almost always statistically significant’ (Kenny,

2020). For this reason, CMIN/DF (Chi square/degrees of freedom) was computed with an acceptable value of 2.906. ‘Chi square (χ2) to degrees of freedom ratios in the range of 2–1 or 3–1 are indicative of an acceptable fit between the hypothetical model and the sample data’ (Carmines & McIver,1981, page 80).

Conclusion

Thefindings support the hypothesis of the existence of a positive connection between the preservation of local resources and the perceived quality of tourism resources, and between the perceived quality of tourism resources and tourists’ satisfaction. The outcomes of our research show that the preservation of natural and cultural heri-tage, together with the availability of local products, is what strengthens the perception of the quality of tourism resources, which is the key in determining visi-tors’ satisfaction. The results presented corroborate the evidence of a link between the preservation of local resources and tourists’ satisfaction and, recognizing the mediating role of the quality of tourism resources, provide a new lens for interpreting it. In summary, the preservation of local resources, influencing the perceived quality of tourism resources and overall tourists’ satisfac-tion, is key to the visitors’ positive experience.

Due to its location at the intersection of three regions – Trentino Alto Adige on the northern side, Lombardy on the western and Veneto on the eastern side– Lake Garda has faced different competitive conditions and has suffered from shortcomings in destination management, particularly a lack of coordination in local resource man-agement. This has increased the risk that local resources may not be adequately preserved, with the consequence of negative impacts on the perceived quality of tourism resources and on tourists’ satisfaction. Indeed, the attri-butes that received the lowest ratings were environ-mental and cultural preservation. The main destinations on Lake Garda are facing increased urbanisation and excessive concentration of tourists during the summer season and on long weekends, creating pressure on the natural environment and on host communities, mainly in the form of traffic and urban congestion (Baratta et al.,2016).

The appeal of Lake Garda is due to its unique characteristics, the abundance of historic and cultural attractions, the beauty and diversity of the landscape, the variety of local products and the experiences offered (e.g. beach vacation, cultural activities, outdoor sports, water sports). These distinctive features make Lake Garda a destination that is not easy to sub-stitute by a large proportion of tourists, mainly for Germans, which account for 44.5% of all overnight stays and are in their majority repeat visitors. Since tourists are loyal to this destination mainly for reasons of the uniqueness of its resources and proxi-mity, the intrinsic risk exists that destination managers are not sensitive to the need to focus on the preser-vation of local resources. However, results show that quality and preservation are not disconnected Table 5.Reliability values (coefficient alpha, coefficients omega,

average variance extracted) of the overall model and of latent variables. Latent variables Overall model Index Preservation of local resources Quality of tourism resources Alpha 0.708 0.773 0.815 Omega 0.717 0.771 0.902 Omega2 0.717 0.771 0.902 Omega3 0.717 0.767 0.894 Average variance extracted 0.562 0.529 0.677

Table 6.Goodness-of-fit indexes for the structural model. Indices

Goodness-of-fit Statistics

Recommended values Absolute Fit Indices

Chi square (χ2) of the estimated model

34.872 degrees of freedom df = 12 p =

0.049

Minimum discrepancy per degree of freedom (CMIN/DF)

2.906 <3

Goodness-of-fit index (GFI) 0.971 >0.90 Standardized root mean square

residual (SRMR)

0.037 <0.1 Root mean square error of

approximation (RMSEA)

0.076 <0.08 Incremental Fit Indices

Adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI)

0.933 >0.90 Non-normedfit index (NNFI) 0.943 >0.90 Normedfit index (NFI) 0.952 >0.90 Parsimonious Fit Indices

Incrementalfit index (IFI) 0.968 >0.90 Comparativefit index (CFI) 0.968 >0.90 Parsimony normedfit index (PNFI) 0.544 >0.50 Relativefit index (RFI) 0.916 >0.90

constructs, since the perceived quality of tourism resources is affected by the preservation of local resources, and overall tourists’ satisfaction is in turn influenced by the perceived quality. In light of the results presented, preservation of local resources should be a top priority on the local agenda.

This study has important managerial implications, encouraging the public and private sector to adopt strat-egies that are not harmful to the local culture and environment. Lake Garda is in a strong competitive pos-ition, due to its location and the richness and diversity of its natural and historical heritage. However, the results stimulate local destination managers and tourism policy-makers to concentrate investments on the preservation of natural and sociocultural assets. The challenge for des-tination managers is to connect tourists to the history and culture of the place and to recognize the preser-vation of the local environment and culture as absolute priorities. Moreover, recognizing the important role played by local products, the study requires destination managers to promote food authenticity, fostering the link between local agriculture, the food processing and tourism. Tourists are increasingly searching for authentic gastronomic experiences and are generally enthusiastic about traditional local products (Sims,2009). Local pro-ducts connect tourists to the territory and impact its per-ceived heritage, and to many they are a symbol of the local identity (Everett & Aitchison,2008).

Notes

1. Overnight stays of foreign tourists on Lake Garda rep-resented 83.1% in 2017, while domestic tourists 16.9%; Germany is by far the top incoming market with almost 11 million overnight stays. Municipalities around Lake Garda belong to three different Italian Regions (Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Lombardy). Data was drawn from two regional tourism reports (Garda Tren-tino,2018; Camera di Commercio di Verona,2018) and, in the case of Lombardy, provided by PoliS-Lombardia. 2. 88% of the total number of overnight stays (1,741,852)

are concentrated between the months of April and October, with peaks in July (309,934) and August (326,776) (Garda Trentino,2018).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on contributors

Gianluca Goffiholds a post-doctoral position at the Free Uni-versity of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Economics and Manage-ment. His research interests are related to tourism

sustainability and competitiveness, destination management, regional and labour economics.

Linda Osti is Associate Professor and coordinator of the

research cluster in Tourism, Marketing and Regional Develop-ment at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Faculty of Econ-omics and Management. Her research interests lie in consumer behaviour in tourism, green consumers, tourism sustainability, authenticity.

Consuelo R. Nava is a fixed-term Research Assistant at the

Department of Economics and Political Sciences of the Univer-sity of Aosta Valley. Her main areas of research expertise relate to econometric theory and applied econometrics.

Oswin Maureris a Professor of Marketing in the Faculty of Econ-omics and Management at the Free University of Bolzano. He is currently also Dean of the Faculty and member of the Board of several international organisations. His research interest include consumer behaviour, tourism marketing, food & tourism, and international competitiveness.

Tonino Pencarelliis Full Professor of Economics and Business Management at the Department of Economics, Society and Politics of the University of Urbino‘Carlo Bo’. He is vice presi-dent of the Italian Management Society. He has published widely in areas of economics and business management, in particular SMEs, business strategy, experiential marketing and tourism.

ORCID

Gianluca Goffi http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9332-1123

Linda Osti http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7697-2688

Consuelo R. Nava http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8046-8185

Oswin Maurer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3728-0598

Tonino Pencarelli http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7247-3689

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