Mª Elisa Alén^*; José Antonio Fraiz^**; Ramón Rufín^***

alen@uvigo.es; jafraiz@uvigo.es; rrufin@cee.uned.es

Abstract. Although there are many definitions for service quality, the most commonly accepted models in the marketing field are focused on meeting consumer needs and requirements, as well as on deciding whether the service offered meets customers’ expectations. This research focuses upon the analysis of the above elements in the specific case of health spa customers, a market of the tourism industry where very few studies have been carried over until now. The criteria used by customers when rating the quality of this tourist service were analysed, and the perceived service quality according to those criteria was measured. The differences between the so-called private customers and the people who visit spas as part of a social security program (subsidized customers) –a relevant and specific issue of the market under study- were also investigated.

Keywords: Health Spa Tourism; Consumer Behaviour; Perceived Service Quality

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^* Department of Business and Marketing Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Universidad de Vigo

^** Department of Business and Marketing Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Universidad de Vigo

^*** Department of Business Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. Spanish University of Distance Learning (UNED)
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