Research On Relationship Marketing In Travel Agency Industry Based On Relationship Quality

Relationship marketing, which was developed by western researchers at the end of 1980s, is introduced in this paper to explore the issues of travel agencies in China. Relationship quality is recognized as a central construct in the relationship marketing literature and is considered as an overall assessment of the strength of a relationship. To begin with, the paper examines the various definitions and dimensions of relationship quality and tries to synthesize these to enchance the current understanding of the construct of relationship quality. First, this paper develops a nomological model in employee-customer dyadic relationship in China travel agency industry setting. An empirical study is carried out to develop a scale of measurement of the relationship quality, and then the proposed model is examined. Second, the relationship quality between buyer-seller in B-B is discussed and a hypothesized model in travel agency-supplier relationship is proposed. Based on the relationship quality, the strategies of relationship marketing for customers, internal markets, competitors, suppliers, distributors and social influencial forces are suggested. It is concluded that relationship marketing plays a significant role in improving the marketing management, enchancing the service quality and shaping the competitive advantage of travel agencies. Suggestions to help travel agencies in relationship marketing application and long term healthy development are recommended.The paper consists of six chapters as follows:First chapter is the introduction. The project background, research objectives, theoretical framework, methodology and research significance are proposed and the literature review is summarized.The second chapter discusses the dimensions and outcomes of relationship quality. Satisfaction, trust and commitment are regarded as the key components of relationship quality. And the relationship between the three constructs is then discussed. After that the impact of relationship quality on purchasing behavior and business performance is explored and thus form a theoretical foundation for further research. The third chapter proposes a model of employee-customer dyadic relationship quality in travel agency industry and an empirical test is conducted. The antecedents, outcomes of relationship quality between employees and customers are analysed, a survey is conducted with customers from several international travel agencies based in Xiamen. The statistical software SPSS is used to test the model. The results show that the mutual disclosure, expertise, customer-oriented, core service delivery and effective communication significantly influence employee-customer relationship quality. The findings also support that relationship quality, defined as a higher-order construct of satisfaction, trust and commitment, has a positive impact on travel agency reputation and customer loyalty.The fourth chapter provides a relationship model in domain of business-to-business marketing. This is followed by a detailed discussion of antecedents, outcomes of buyer-seller relationship quality in B-B and brings implications for relationship marketing of travel agencies in B-B area.The fifth chapter addresses the relationship marketing strategies. According to the results of empirical study and the features of travel agencies in China, managerial implications in marketing practice are outlined and suggested.The final chapter summarizes the paper, proposes the research contribution and insufficiency in this paper, and then identifies directions for future research.