Does satisfaction with package tours lead to successful vacation experiences?

•The effect of package tour satisfaction on the success of a vacation was analyzed.•Package tour satisfaction had a limited impact on the success of a vacation experience.•Satisfaction can be considered as a prerequisite of experienced value.•In experience evaluation concentration on mere satisfaction is not sufficient.

Tour operators play a key role in the creation of destination experiences by assembling and distributing package tourism products. This study examines how satisfaction with the components of a package tour affects the success of a vacation experience by analyzing customer satisfaction data (n=38,153) from the largest tour operator in Finland. A principal component analysis identified six dimensions of a package tour, of which a regression model indicated that tour operator's destination services and accommodation services were the key factors in explaining the success of the vacation experience. Pre-tour services and environmental issues were also essential, whereas flight and airport services were the least important. However, these six components explained only 34% of the variance in the success of an experience. Therefore, it is argued that satisfaction with tour operators’ services has only a limited impact on the success of a package tourism experience. This strengthens the idea that hybrid and complex tourism experiences are influenced by various factors and actors, many of which are irrespective of the tour operator.