Tourism servicescapes: a conceptual overview

The growth in the tourism service sector in recent year has raised continuous interest in the development of theoretical concepts in tourism to increase understanding of customers’ needs in the market place. Several streams of research have contributed significantly to the understanding of the servicescape (physical surroundings) in marketing and tourism. Studies in the servicescape seek to deliver superior value to customers, creates opportunities for longer tourist stays, repeat visits and positive word-of-mouth. However, there are gaps in the literature that limit our understanding of the significance of the servicescape. This paper reviews the literature on the antecedents to customer joy and satisfaction with the tourism servicescape. The paper develops hypotheses that could address the gaps through empirical testing