Using HOLSAT to evaluate tourist satisfaction at destinations: The case of Australian holidaymakers in Vietnam

The potential of Vietnam as a holiday destination for Australian travellers is examined using HOLSAT, a new model that compares the performance of positive and negative holiday attributes against a holidaymaker's expectations [Tribe, J., & Snaith, T. (1998). From SERVQUAL to HOLSAT: Holiday satisfaction in Varadero, Cuba. Tourism Management, 19, 25–34]. The attributes used are developed for each particular application and are not generic, overcoming some of the limitations of earlier models in dealing with the concept of holiday satisfaction. This paper seeks to review the value of HOLSAT as a means of identifying tourists’ satisfaction with a holiday destination, in this case Vietnam. The findings indicate that the HOLSAT model is a valuable tool that can be used to evaluate the satisfaction of tourists with particular destinations. It proved to be easy to apply and a useful diagnostic tool that can be used in the future planning and management of the tourism industry in Vietnam, enabling wholesale and retail travel agents to improve levels of service and develop appropriate products to meet the expectations of the Australian travel market.