The effects of national culture on service quality: towards a new model in the hotel sector

Global tourism has experienced remarkable international growth over the last half century. Recently, in 2003, worldwide tourist journeys reached 714.6 million with an annual growth rate of 4.3%19. This growth is reflected in an increase in international hotel guest numbers, hotel occupancy rates and expectations of high service quality. However, the growth differs from country to another; the hotel sectors in developed as well as developing countries have opened their doors to international guests with their demands and requirements. In this respect, hotel service quality has become an international delivery feature –the delivery of hotel services to heterogeneous hotel guests coming from dissimilar countries and different national cultures. This variability has increased the difficulty and complexity of delivering good service quality also due to the influence of national culture on service quality. The lack of theoretical and empirical understanding as to how national culture elements affect service quality often adds to this emerging challenge in the hotel sector.