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Home > CIIMA > Vol. 22 (2024) > Iss. 1

 

Communications of the IIMA

Abstract

Travel and tourism industries rely heavily on customer reviews from past travelers as an invaluable source for informing potential travelers’ decisions. Thanks to the internet, reviews are an invaluable source for both quantitative star ratings as well as qualitative text comments that evaluate travel experiences. In this paper we analyse this complex relationship between text comments and their associated star ratings; using existing literature we highlight their interplay to give an overall picture of customer satisfaction. Factors that influence ratings and comments include both intrinsic (service quality, staff behavior) and extrinsic aspects such as location or price. Sentiment analysis through Natural Language Processing (NLP) helps interpret emotions or opinions expressed through comments to correlate them with star ratings. Review platforms such as TripAdvisor are key resources for travelers; however, they also face issues of biases or fake reviews that require further attention. This review emphasises the significance of taking both quantitative and qualitative aspects of customer reviews into account in tourism, providing valuable insights as well as uncovering gaps that require further exploration - for instance, specific travel styles, deeper qualitative analyses, cultural differences, or language barriers that need further investigation. Future research must extend beyond English reviews into non-English reviews from different travel segments as this could enhance decision-making and customer service in tourism businesses; by filling in gaps this could allow better customer understanding leading to increased satisfaction with services and informed decision-making by businesses. As this review concludes, its significance lies in emphasizing both quantitative and qualitative aspects of customer reviews in the tourism industry is clear. By filling any identified gaps through further research efforts, tourism organizations can deepen their understanding of customer experiences resulting in more informed decision-making processes and enhanced customer satisfaction ratings.

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