Assessing the Challenges of Service Quality in the Terra Quente Transmontana, Portugal

Service quality is a major issue because is the result of a judgmental value that involves both the expectations as well as the perceptions of the customers. Despite its tremendous growth in Portugal, little is known about service quality neither in rural areas nor how it is perceived in the Terra Quente Transmontana. This article has two main purposes. Firstly, to compare the service provided by rural lodging units to entertainment services in rural areas and, secondly, to pave the way for the analysis of the services that influence the satisfaction of the Terra Quente Transmontana as tourist destination. The methodology is based on a Principal Components Analysis to both rural lodging units and entertainment services. The main conclusion is that both services are perceived differently by their customers. Consequently, it is mandatory to develop a cluster of services tuned to the different segments in order to develop the Terra Quente Transmontana as tourist destination.