The purpose – Service quality and customer satisfaction have been extensively researched in the profit sector, but are also important in the non-profit sector. Specialty hospitals and health spas operate in the non-profit sector in Croatia, but some of them try to provide a part of their services to the health tourism market. Hospitals that work in the non-profit sector and especially those that see their future in the health tourism market need to pay attention to service quality and customer satisfaction. Although specialty hospitals are a vital segment of the Croatian health system, there has not been enough research regarding service quality and customer satisfaction measurement in that sector. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction in the healthcare sector. Design/methodology – Empirical research is used to determine patients’ perceptions and expectations of service quality in one specialty hospital for medical rehabilitation. SERVQUAL instrument was used to measure the service quality. The SERVQUAL questionnaire included an expectations and perceptions section, each consisting of 34 statements. In addition, the questionnaire contained an extra section relating to demographics and an overall question on the impression of quality of the service provided. One hundred and four (104) satisfactorily completed questionnaires were collected. Findings – The analysis revealed that patients perceived a rather satisfactory level of health care quality across all SERVQUAL dimensions. Patients who perceived a higher level of service quality show greater satisfaction with the services, as well as a higher level of loyalty to the hospital which provides medical services. Research results indicate the multidimensionality of the concept and the existence of a gap between patients' expectations and the perceptions of service quality. Finally, despite the criticism of the SERVQUAL instrument, this study confirms the usefulness of the SERVQUAL model in terms of its reliability and validity for measuring quality in the health care sector. Originality of the research – This paper sheds light on a poorly researched field in the Croatian context. The specific environment in which the research was done demanded the implementation of a modified SERVQUAL model which was broadened with the items referring to sports, recreation and amusement activities. Theoretical contribution of this paper is reflected in testing the dimensionality and reliability of the modified SERVQUAL instrument for measuring service quality in a specialty hospital. It was found that the modified model has four dimensions. The ‘Output quality’ dimension, which refers to the services outside the sphere of medical services, has the greatest impact on the patients’ satisfaction. The practical contribution of the paper is manifested as an encouragement for managers in specialty hospitals to devote greater attention to service quality and customer satisfaction measurement, especially when their goal is to enter the health tourism market. It provides directions for hospital managers to develop strategies which will meet patients’ expectations of service quality and increase their competitiveness in the health tourism market.

Purpose – Today's tourists are increasingly looking for an active, healthy and meaningful way to spend their time at a destination. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to determine the key dimensions of memorable tourism experiences (MTEs) that influence tourists' satisfaction with the vacation experience motivated by the beauty of nature and landscape, as well as the impact of satisfaction with vacation experience on behavioural intentions. Design – Using a structured questionnaire on pencil and paper, data were collected from a sample of 334 travellers who were citizens of the Republic of Croatia and whose primary motive for travel was to visit a natural attraction. Methodology/approach – The questionnaire adopted previously validated scales and was used to explore MTEs, satisfaction with the vacation experience and behavioural intentions. The hypotheses were empirically tested using partial least square structural equation modelling. Findings – The results show that not all MTE dimensions influence satisfaction with the vacation experience among tourists whose primary travel motive was the beauty of nature and landscape. Hedonism, refreshment, and involvement as MTE dimensions had a statistically significant influence on satisfaction with the vacation experience. In addition, satisfaction with the vacation experience had a statistically significant influence on several behavioural intentions, with the strongest influence on intention to recommend. Originality of the research – Tourists in nature-based destinations were found to exhibit specific behaviours, as not all MTE dimensions contribute equally to satisfaction with the vacation experience. This study extends the body of knowledge on tourism experience theory by empirically testing its premises on tourists motivated by the beauty of nature and landscape.

Due to its numerous health benefits, fish consumption should be strongly encouraged. Fish consumption, however, is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors. The aim of this research is to examine the influence of knowledge, product information, and satisfaction with product attributes on fish consumption in a nationally representative sample of people responsible for food purchasing within households in Croatia (n = 977) and Italy (n = 967). Fish consumption was well predicted (R² = 15%) by the proposed structural model, using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method (PLS-SEM). The obtained results confirm that subjective knowledge (β = 0.277, p < 0.001) and satisfaction with product attributes (β = 0.197, p < 0.001) are predictors of fish consumption. Subjective knowledge was influenced by product information (β = 0.161, p < 0.001), as well as by satisfaction with product attributes (β = 0.282, p < 0.001), while objective knowledge had an influence on product information (β = 0.194, p < 0.001). Although satisfaction with product attributes was the strongest predictor of subjective knowledge in both countries (β_CRO = 0.244, β_IT = 0.398), it had a greater effect among Italians (p = 0.001), while the impact of product information (β_CRO = 0.210, β_IT = 0.086) was more pronounced among Croatians (p = 0.010). Since the mediating role of subjective knowledge in all models was confirmed, action focused on enhancing subjective knowledge should be taken to increase fish consumption.

This paper contributes to the debate about the relationships among tourism experience co-creation, satisfaction with vacation experience, satisfaction with the impact of vacation on overall life, life satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Th...

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the global economy, particularly the tourism sector, thus making the interplay of pandemics and tourism a prominent topic of research. This paper aims to provide an overview of scientific research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism and determine future research directions. The main research questions are: 1) Which research topics related to the impact of the pandemic on tourism have been addressed? 2) What are the bibliometric characteristics of published papers on these topics? 3) What are the directions for future research within this field? A qualitative method was applied to obtain answers by analyzing the scientific papers published between March 2020 and March 2021. By applying the PRISMA protocol, a total of 33 relevant articles were identified, which were subjected to bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer, and finally, content analysis was conducted. Thereby, the following key research areas were distinguished: the impacts and consequences of COVID-19 on tourism, the transformation of tourism and post-pandemic recovery strategies, the changes in behavior from the travelers' perspective, and the issues from the perspective of tourism enterprises. Based on the analysis, new research directions are proposed.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of different dimensions of the camping tourism experience on satisfaction and loyalty. To achieve the purpose of this research, it was necessary to adjust and validate the measurement scale of the tourism experience in campsites. Furthermore, the goal was to investigate the relationship between camping tourists’ satisfaction and their loyalty to the camp. Methodology – An analysis of the recent literature on the topic of tourism experience and camping tourism was performed. Empirical research was conducted on a convenience sample of 143 visitors to campsites. Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used in the data analysis. Reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis were applied. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. Data analysis was performed using the software package IBM SPSS Statistic Version 26. Findings – The results of empirical research show that of the four extracted dimensions of the camping tourism experience, three have a positive and significant impact on tourist satisfaction and loyalty. These are education, escapism and aesthetics, while entertainment has no significant impact. Contribution – This research represents a starting point for further research about the camping tourism experience. The scale for measuring the camping tourism experience was validated and can be used in further research. Also, the results can help managers to develop marketing strategies and tactics, as the determinants of the tourism experience of camping tourists have been established.