A STUDY ON SERVICE DELIVERY GAP WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO TAMIL

NADU TOURISM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AT CHENNAI CITY

Abstract
This paper examines the gap between the customer-driven service design and standards
and the service delivery of the provider with respect to Tamil Nadu Tourism Development
Corporation, Chennai. This study takes into consideration of six factors which affect the service
provided by Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai namely advance booking,
crew, coach, tour guide, restaurant and food and accommodation to find out its impact on
tourists’ satisfaction. The research design is descriptive and analytical in nature. The sample
size was 50 and the sampling technique adopted is simple random sampling method. The tools
such as descriptive, correlation, regression were used for analyzing the service delivery gap.
Based on the mean and standard deviation, the study found that there is a huge gap between the
delivery standards and delivery service provided by TTDC. The study concluded that there is a
relationship between the delivery service factors and tourists satisfaction. Therefore only by
improving the services according to customer satisfaction, TTDC can fill the delivery service
gap.
Keywords: Service Delivery Gap, Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Chennai
City.
I. INTRODUCTION
India is a country known for its lavish treatment to all visitors, no matter where they come
from. Its visitor-friendly traditions, varied life styles and cultural heritage and colorful fairs and
festivals held abiding attractions for the tourists. Tourism in India is economically important and
is growing rapidly. The sector is predicted to grow at an average annual rate of 7.9% till 2023
making India the third fastest growing tourism destination over the next decade. ("Travel &
Tourism 2013", World Travel and Tourism Council, 21st February 2014). It supported 39.5
million jobs 7.7% of its total employment ("India: How does Travel & Tourism compare to other
sectors?" World Travel and Tourism Council, 29th October 2013). About 22.57 million tourists
arrived in India in 2014, compared to 19.95 million in 2013. This ranks India as the 38th country
in the world in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. ("India’s Domestic Tourists increase by 16%
crossing 1 Billion Mark" IANS, news.biharprabha.com, 21st February 2014). In 2014, Tamil
Nadu, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh were the most popular states for tourists ("Tamil Nadu, UP
pip Goa as tourist havens"). Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Agra have been the four most visited
cities of India by foreign tourists during the year 2011. Worldwide, Chennai is ranked 38 by the
number of foreign tourists, while Mumbai is ranked at 50, Delhi at 52 and Agra at 66
and Kolkata at 99 ("Top 100 City Destinations Ranking - Analyst Insight from Euro monitor
International", 30th January 2015).
TTDC was incorporated during June 1971 under the Companies Act 1956. The entire
share capital of Rs.10.43 Crores has been subscribed by the State Government. TTDC was
formed with the objective of promoting tourism in Tamil Nadu by providing infrastructure
facilities of transport and accommodation. To fulfill this objective, TTDC has expanded its
activities into 3 main operations, namely, hotels, transport and fairs. TTDC is at present having
54 hotels across Tamil Nadu. Out of the 54 hotels under the control of TTDC, TTDC is currently
operating 23 hotels. All hotels have been upgraded to ensure comfortable stay for the tourists.
The Transport division is having a fleet of 17 coaches operating tours ranging from half-day to
14 days covering the southern states. TTDC is having an exhibition in Island Ground, Chennai
with 21 acres for conducting exhibitions (www. ttdconline.com).
Service quality is an approach to manage business processes in order to ensure full
satisfaction of the customers and quality in service provided. It works as an antecedent of
customer satisfaction (Ruyter and Bloemer, 1995). Measuring the quality of a service can be a
very difficult exercise. Unlike product where there are specific specifications such as length,
depth, width, weight, colour etc. A service can have numerous intangible or qualitative
specifications. In addition there is there expectation of the customer with regards the service,
which can vary considerably based on a range of factors such as prior experience, personal needs
and what other people may have told them. As a way of trying to measure service quality, the
SERVQUAL model was developed by A. Parasuraman and colleges in the USA. SERVQUAL
examines five dimensions of service quality such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance,
empathy, and tangible (e.g. appearance of physical facilities, equipment, etc.). The SERVQUAL
authors identified five Gaps that may cause customers to experience poor service quality. They
are gap 1 (gap between what the customer expects and what the company’s management thinks
customers expect), gap 2 (gap that occurs when management fails to design service standards
that meet customer expectations), gap 3 (when the company’s service delivery systems – people,
technology and processes – fail to deliver to the specified standard), gap 4 (when the company’s
communications with customers promise a level of service performance that people, technology
and processes cannot deliver) and gap 5 (gap between expected service and experienced service).
Gap 5 is the product of gaps 1, 2, 3 and 4.
 Considering the significance of tourism and its service, SERQUAL technique also called
as Gaps Model has been undertaken to examine the service delivery gap (Gap 3) with special
reference to Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation at Chennai city. This study also
finds out the satisfaction level of the tourists with respect to services provided by the Tamil Nadu
Tourism Development Corporation at Chennai city.
II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In recent years, service quality has taken into consideration in providing and
accomplishing customers' satisfaction (Hishamuddin Fitri Abu Hasan, Azleen Ilias, Rahida Abd
Rahman & Mohd Zulkeflee Abd Razak, 2008). Besides, there is a very obvious trend towards a
growing concern that customers' satisfaction is one of the valuable assets in building up a good
will for any industry. It is very crucial in service industry, by which this element is critical in
influencing customers' perceptions and thus their loyalty towards the industry is increased
especially in tourism industry. Good customer satisfaction through effective service delivery is
also having an effect on the profitability of tourism industry. However, based on the social and
cultural factors of tourists, they may have different attitude, perceptions and expectations
regarding the services provided by the tourism sector. It may or may not match the expectations
of the tourists and it is also a challenging task for the tourists sector to deliver and satisfy their
diversified tourists. This may due to poor employee or technology fit, ineffective policy, failure
to match demand and supply, too much or too little control and lack of teamwork within the
organization. All these constitute the Gap 3 of service quality.

Hence, this study has been undertaken to find out the service delivery gap with special
reference to Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation at Chennai city. It also examines the
impact of six factor of service delivery towards tourists’ satisfaction namely advance booking,
crew, coach, tour guide, restaurant and food and accommodation.

2.1 Service Quality Gap

A Gap 3 is the difference, imbalance or disparity which is determined to exist between

tourists’ expectations on service delivery and actual delivery. If expectations are greater than
performance, dissatisfaction occurs. Therefore,

Service Quality = Actual Delivery – Delivery Standards

III. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

 1. To study the profile of the tourists.
2. To study the perception and satisfaction level of the tourists with respect to six factors
affecting service delivery of TTDC, Chennai
3. To assess the service delivery gap with respect to TTDC, Chennai
4. To find out the impact of factors of delivery service and service satisfaction of tourists
with respect to TTDC, Chennai.
5. To suggest possible measures to TTDC, Chennai to deliver service according to the
service standards and to the satisfaction of the tourists.
IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research identifies the important quality dimensions of Tamil Nadu Tourism
Development Corporation (TTDC) to enable the tourism to develop strategies and improve the
quality of service delivery. This will improve the competitive position of TTDC in the tourism
industry and ensure the survival of the TTDC, especially in an era of intense competition.
Through measuring the level of tourists’ satisfaction; TTDC can develop a customer-centric
approach to deal with service. Furthermore, this study will also serve as a guide for TTDC to
develop and modify policies that will improve overall service delivery, particularly in areas
where the gap between the standards and actual delivery service. It aids in improving the tourists
satisfaction by changing the services according to the suggestions given by them.
V. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study extends to the service delivery gap with special reference to Tamil Nadu
Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) at Chennai city. It taken in to consideration of six
factors which highly affecting the service delivery of tourists namely advance booking, crew,
coach, tour guide, restaurant and food and accommodation. The findings, suggestion and
conclusion are applicable only to TTDC and its related industry.
VI. LITERATURE REVIEW
Successful business companies must obtain new and existing customers to be capable of
obtaining the products and services provided rather than switch to competitors. Quality of service
is considered a critical success factor for banks to differentiate from competitors. Several
researches have been performed to determine the factors of service quality. For instance, studies
have discovered that service quality can lead to customer satisfaction (Kheng et al., 2010;
Muslim, &Isa, 2005).
 Customer satisfaction will tend to repurchase from the same service provider (Eshghi et
al., 2008); in turn, company revenue will increase in the long run. Variations in service
performance may provide opportunities to service quality, and customer satisfaction. Therefore,
the relationships between these two aspects can provide TTDC with insights into both tangible
and intangible service development, particularly to develop a competitive edge in the Jordanian
banking industry. The present study uses the SERVQUAL scale to measure customer satisfaction
in the banking industry (Parasuraman et al., 1988).
Today, with increased competition, service quality has become a popular area for
academic studies and has been recognized as a competitive advantage and supportive
relationship with satisfied customers (Zeithmal, 2000). Also, quality of service has become an
important tool in the service industry. According to Saghier, and Nathan (2013), service quality
is an important concept in the service industry and is more important for financial service
providers who have difficulty in showing their customers product differentiation.
More specifically, In order to develop a marketing strategy, services- marketing
individuals, particularly bank marketers, need to understand the attributes of the services used by
customers in choosing a bank. For example, users will use the name of the bank, the reliability of
the bank, bank guarantees, bank and physical facilities in selecting the bank services. If
marketers can understand the attributes used to assess the service, they will be better able to
manage and influence the assessment and perception of customer presentations (Toelle, 2006).
Quality of service is likely observed to play an important role in the high involvement
industries such as banking services. Banks have traditionally placed a high value on customer
relationships with both commercial and retail customers. In the last fifteen years, the nature of
customer relationships in retail banking in Jordan has particularly changed since the advent of
automated teller machines. Five dimensions of SERVQUAL have been developed for the service
sector: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, empathy and security. Tangibility represents
physical facilities, equipment and appearance staff. Examples of factors are significantly
associated with banks including comfortable shop design, up-to-date equipment for customer
use, and adequate staffing to provide service. These aspects are important for banks because
there are a lot of face-to-face relationship between customers and employees. Therefore,
maintaining a professional environment and convenient stores can improve customer satisfaction
(Ananth et al., 2011).
Without any doubt, service quality is very important component in any business related
activity. This is especially so, to marketer a customer’s evaluation of service quality and the
resulting level of satisfaction are perceived to affect bottom line measures of business success
(Iacobucci et al., 1994). Customer expectations are beliefs about a service that serve as standards
against which service performance is judged (Zeithaml et al., 1990); which customer thinks a
service provider should offer, rather than on what might be on offer (Parasuram et al., 1988). To
some, service quality can also be defined as the difference between customer’s expectations for
the service encounter and the perceptions of the service received.
According to the service quality theory (Oliver, 1980), it is predicted that customers will
judge that quality as ` low` if performance does not meet their expectations and quality as `high`
when performance exceeds expectations. Closing this gap might require toning down the
expectations or heightening the perception of what has actually been received by the customer
(Parasuraman et al., 1985). According to Gronroos (1982), perceived quality of a given service is
the result of an evaluation process since consumers often make comparison between the services
they expect with perceptions of the services that they receive. He concluded that the quality of
service is dependent on two variables: Expected service and Perceived service. Quality spells
superiority or excellence (Taylor and Baker, 1994) or as the consumer’s overall impression of
the relative inferiority / superiority of the organization and its services (Bitner and Hubbert,
1994; Keiningham et al., 1994-95). Consumer behavioral intentions are also influenced by the
standards of service quality (Bitner, 1990; Cronin and Taylor, 1992).
6.1 Service Quality Model
Most of the researchers have recognized and used the service quality measuring model in
a variety of industries such as the service quality model improved by Parasuraman et al (1988).
The service quality model of Parasuraman et al. (1988) suggested a five dimensional structure of
perceived service quality tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, empathy and security as the
instruments for measuring the service quality (Parasuramanet el al., 1988; Zeithamlet el al.,
1990).
VII. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF THE STUDY
 This depicts the relationship between actual service delivery and service satisfaction of the
tourists.
Figure 7.1
Factors Affecting Delivery
Service of TTDC
 Advance Booking
 Crew
 Coach Service Delivery Tourists’ Satisfaction
 Tour Guide
 Restaurant and Food
 Accommodation

VIII. HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

To analyze the relationship between actual service delivery and service satisfaction of the
tourists the following alternative hypotheses have been framed.
H11: There is a significant difference between gender with factors of delivery services and
satisfaction of the tourists with respect to TTDC.
H12: There is a significant difference between travelling mode with factors of delivery service
and satisfaction of the tourists with respect to TTDC.
H13: There is a significant difference between general information of tourists with factors of
delivery service and satisfaction of the tourists with respect to TTDC.
H14: There is a significant relationship between factors of delivery service and satisfaction of the
tourists with respect to TTDC.
H15: There is a significant impact of factors of delivery service and satisfaction of the tourists
with respect to TTDC.
IX. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
Research design: The study is descriptive and analytical in nature. It describes the service
quality its gap and details regarding TTDC, Chennai. It also finds out the relationship between
actual service delivery and service satisfaction of the tourists with respect to TTDC.
Sampling Technique and Sampling Procedure: The target population for the study is tourists
of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation (TTDC) at Chennai city. The sampling
technique adopted is simple random sampling method. The sample size chosen is 50.
Instrumental Design: The self constructed questionnaire has been administered to collect
primary data from the respondents. The questionnaire was composed of three dimensions namely
general information (Dimension – I), tourists’ perception towards factors affecting delivery
service (Dimension – II) and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery service
(Dimension –III). The questionnaire has been framed by using dichotomous scale, categorical
scale, ratio scale and Likert’s five point scale.
Data Collection Method: It consists of both primary and secondary data source. The primary
data have been collected from the tourists using scheduled interview method. The secondary data
have been collected from books, journals, thesis and from concerned websites.
Tools for Analysis: To study the level of perception of tourists’ towards service delivery
provided by TTDC, descriptives is used. To identify the significant difference between general
information with factors of delivery services and satisfaction of the tourists with respect to
TTDC, t-test and ANOVA are used. To find out the significant relationship between factors of
delivery service and satisfaction of the tourists with respect to TTDC, correlation and regression
are used.
X. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
a) Frequencies
Table 10.1
Socio-economic Status of the Respondents
No. of
Sl. No. General Information Percentage
Respondents
Gender
Male 34 68
1.
Female 16 32
Total 50 100
Age (in years)
Less than 25 3 5
25 - 35 3 5
2. 36 - 45 15 29
46 - 55 19 38
Above 55 12 23
Total 50 100
Duration of Trip
One day 11 22
2 – 4 days 7 14
3.
5 – 7 days 14 27
More than 7 days 19 37
Total 50 100
Travel Mode
4.
Alone 7 14
 Group 43 86
Total 50 100
Frequency of Trip
First trip 5 10
2 – 3 times 9 17
5. 4 – 6 times 11 22
7 – 9 times 21 41
More than 9 times 5 10
Total 50 100
Mode of Booking
Online 25 50
6. Over the Counter 13 25
Through Agents 13 25
Total 50 100
[Source: Primary Data]
From the above table, it can be inferred that 68% of them are male, 38% of them are
between the age group of 46 and 55 years old, 37% of them had gone more than 7 days trip
through TTDC, 43% of them are travel along with group, 41% of them had more than 9 times
trip through TTDC and 50% of them book their tickets through online.

b) Descriptives
Table 10.2
Mean and Standard Deviation of Delivery Services Provided by TTDC
Sl. No. Delivery Services Mean SD
Advance Booking
1. Easy and simple steps/procedure for booking tickets. 2.77 1.205
Precise notification regarding departure and arrival
2. 2.70 1.176
time.
3. Availability of complaint facilities. 2.73 1.145
Coach
1. Air conditioner with suitable temperature. 2.78 1.142
2. Excellent seating arrangement. 2.70 1.133
3. Conformability in seats. 2.83 1.240
4. Control over noise. 2.72 1.215
5. Useful first aid kit. 3.01 1.210
6. Sufficient provision for luggage and storage facilities. 2.66 1.335
Crew
1. Traffic rules followed by the driver 2.84 1.152
2. Proper speed level maintained by the driver. 2.68 1.154
3. Expert driving technique and style. 2.67 1.127
4. Timely reach of place. 2.66 1.118
5. Feel comfort during travelling. 2.80 1.110
6. Effective guidance of tour assistant. 2.73 1.118
7. Appropriate aid of tour assistance during journey. 2.81 1.152
Apt support given by tour assistant in getting into the
8. 2.70 1.142
coach.
Good education about the emergency exit by the tour
9. 2.77 1.118
assistant.
Tour Guide
1. Good personality of tour guide. 2.98 1.039
2. Audibility in announcement. 2.95 1.038
3. Strong knowledge regarding places. 2.99 1.049
4. Well versed in languages. 2.96 1.004
Precise announcement regarding probable time of
5. 2.92 1.002
destination.
6. Appropriate time schedules given in each place of visit. 2.97 0.893
7. Superior care and concern taken by tour guide. 2.67 1.006
Restaurant and Food
1. Hygiene food served at restaurant. 2.68 1.109
2. Availability of food varieties. 2.62 1.099
3. Reasonable time taken to serve food. 2.53 1.114
4. Economy of food. 2.64 1.142
5. Serenity ambience at the restaurant. 2.75 1.029
6. Cleanliness of the restaurant. 2.74 1.070
Suitable time given by tour guide to have food in
7. 2.55 1.184
restaurant.
Accommodation
1. Availability of room space. 2.66 1.157
2. Proper power supply. 2.62 1.013
3. Effective working of air conditioner. 2.58 1.093
4. Clarity in television. 2.65 1.167
5. Inter-com facility. 2.60 1.035
6. Uninterrupted water supply. 2.71 1.183
7. Good external ventilation. 2.62 1.062
8. Cleanliness. 2.60 1.073
9. Effectual room service. 2.70 1.176
[Source: Primary Data]
 From the above table, it is observed that the mean value for all the statements in the
factor “About advance booking” is less than 3.00, which means the tourists’ are neutrally and
less than neutrally agreed with the booking service provided by TTDC. Based on the mean value,
the statement “Easy and simple steps/procedure for booking tickets (2.77)” is considered to be
the significant statement in “About advance booking” service offered by TTDC, followed by
“Availability of complaint facilities (2.70)” and “Precise notification regarding departure and
arrival time (2.70)”.
From the above table, it is understood that the mean value for all the statements in the
factor “About the coach” is less than and nearer to 3.00, which means the tourists’ are partially
agreed with the coach service provided by TTDC. Based on the mean value, the statement
“Useful first aid kit (3.00)” is considered to be the significant statement in “About the coach”
service provided by TTDC, followed by “Conformability in seats (2.83)”, “Air conditioner with
suitable temperature (2.78)”, “Control over noise (2.72)”, “Excellent seating arrangement (2.70)”
and “Sufficient provision for luggage and storage facilities (2.66)”.
From the above table, it is learnt that the mean value for all the statements in the factor
“About the crew” is less than 3.00, which means the tourists’ are moderately agreed with the
crew service provided by TTDC. Based on the mean value, the statement “Traffic rules followed
by the driver (2.84)” is considered to be the significant statement in “About the crew” service
given by TTDC, followed by “Appropriate aid of tour assistance during journey (2.81)”, “Feel
comfort during travelling (2.80)”, “Good education about the emergency exit by the tour
assistant (2.77)”, “Effective guidance of tour assistant”, “Apt support given by tour assistant in
getting into the coach (2.70)”, “Proper speed level maintained by the driver (2.68), “Expert
driving technique and style (2.67)” and “Timely reach of place (2.66)”.
From the above table, it is studied that the mean value for all the statements in the factor
“About the tour guide” is less than and nearer to 3.00, which means the tourists’ are fairly agreed
with the tour guide service provided by TTDC. Based on the mean value, the statement “Strong
knowledge regarding places (2.99)” is considered to be the significant statement in “About the
tour guide” service provided by TTDC, followed by “Good personality of tour guide (2.98)”,
“Appropriate time schedules given in each place of visit”, “Well versed in languages (2.96)”,
“Audibility in announcement (2.95)” and “Precise announcement regarding probable time of
destination (2.92)” and “Superior care and concern taken by tour guide (2.67)”.
 From the above table, it is understood that the mean value for all the statements in the
factor “About the restaurant and food” is less than and nearer to 3.00, which means the tourists’
are agreed to certain extent with the restaurant and food service provided by TTDC. Based on the
mean value, the statement “Pleasant ambience at the restaurant (2.75)” is considered to be the
significant statement in “About the restaurant and food” service offered by TTDC, followed by
“Cleanliness of the restaurant (2.74)”, “Hygiene food served at restaurant (2.68)”, “Economy of
food (2.64)”, “Availability of food varieties (2.62)”, “Suitable time given by tour guide to have
food in restaurant (2.55)” and “Reasonable time taken to serve food (2.53)”.
From the above table, it is understood that the mean value for all the statements in the
factor “About the accommodation” is less than and nearer to 3.00, which means the tourists’ are
somewhat agreed with the accommodation service provided by TTDC. Based on the mean value,
the statement “Uninterrupted water supply (2.71)” is considered to be the significant statement in
“About the accommodation” service provided by TTDC, followed by “Effectual room service
(2.70)”, “Sufficient room space (2.66)”, “Clarity and soundness of television (2.65)”, “Proper
power supply” and “Good external ventilation (2.62)”, “Cleanliness” and “Inter-com facility
(2.60)” and “Effective working of air conditioner (2.58)”.
c) t-test
Alternative Hypothesis (H11): There is a significant difference between gender and delivery
services offered by TTDC
Table 10.3
Gender with Delivery Service (t test)
Male Female P
Factors t value
Mean SD Mean SD value
Advance Booking 9.31 5.84 3.03 2.59 5.579 <0.001**
Crew 31.00 20.62 9.12 7.40 5.726 <0.001**
Coach 21.93 17.31 5.85 4.28 18.170 <0.001**
Tour Guide 17.21 12.69 5.92 4.56 7.389 <0.001**
Restaurant and Food 26.25 18.41 8.66 6.37 10.449 <0.001**
Accommodation 15.54 10.84 5.36 3.94 4.099 <0.001**
Overall Satisfaction
Regarding Delivery 18.14 12.81 5.41 4.22 6.982 0.009**
Services
[Source: Primary data]
Note: ** Denotes significant at 1% level.
 Since P value is less than 0.010, the alternative hypothesis is accepted at 1 percent level
of significance. Hence it is concluded that there is a significant difference between male and
female tourists with respect to delivery services provided by TTDC. The mean level of male
tourists is better than female tourists with respect to delivery services offered by TTDC namely
advance booking, crew, coach, tour guide, restaurant and food, accommodation and overall
satisfaction regarding delivery services. This is because; expectations of women tourists
regarding safety, security, comfort are more than male tourists. They used to be cautious
regarding food, restaurant and accommodation than male tourists.
Alternative Hypothesis (H12): There is a significant difference between travel mode and
delivery services offered by TTDC.
Table 10.4
Travel Mode with Delivery Service (t test)
Alone Group P
Factors t value
Mean SD Mean SD value
Advance Booking 8.00 8.23 3.26 3.33 0.736 0.393
Crew 26.93 27.80 9.86 9.91 0.181 0.671
Coach 18.64 20.74 5.64 5.80 0.356 0.552
Tour Guide 15.21 15.85 4.82 6.07 1.723 0.192
Restaurant and Food 23.14 23.84 7.08 9.05 2.810 0.097
Accommodation 13.86 14.07 5.16 5.47 0.359 0.550
Overall Satisfaction Regarding
16.50 16.43 4.71 5.78 1.649 0.196
Delivery Services
[Source: Primary data]
Since P value is greater than 0.050, the alternative hypothesis is rejected at 5 percent
level of significance. Hence it is concluded that there is no significant difference between those
people travelling alone or in group with respect to delivery services provided by TTDC. The
mean level of tourists travelling alone is better than the tourists travelling in group with respect
to delivery services offered by TTDC namely advance booking, crew, coach, tour guide,
restaurant and food, accommodation and overall satisfaction regarding delivery services. The
lesser satisfaction of tourists travelling in a group may due to the responsibility and care taken by
the tourists towards their family members or the people accompanied with him/her.
d) ANOVA
Alternative Hypothesis (H13): There is a significant difference between general information of
tourists and delivery services offered by TTDC.
 Table 10.5
Tourists’ General Information and Delivery Services
Socio-Economic Age Duration of Trip Frequency of Trip
Status F value P value F value P value F value P value
Advance Booking 5.971 0.001** 6.391 0.001** 9.166 <0.001**

Crew 5.243 0.001** 6.114 0.001** 7.582 <0.001**

Coach 5.158 0.001** 7.089 0.002** 5.961 <0.001**

Tour Guide 4.682 0.002** 3.689 0.015** 6.271 <0.001**

Restaurant and Food 5.293 0.001** 5.498 0.002** 9.243 <0.001**

Accommodation 4.928 0.001** 4.657 0.004** 6.690 <0.001**

Overall Satisfaction
Regarding Delivery 4.507 0.002** 5.761 0.001** 7.605 0.001**
Services
[Source: Primary Data]
Note: ** Denotes significant at 1% level.
Since P value is less than 0.01, the alternative hypothesis is accepted at 1 percent level of
significance. Hence it is concluded that there is a significant difference between age, duration of
trip and frequency of trip with delivery services offered by TTDC.
e) Bivariate Correlation
Alternative Hypothesis (H13): There is a significant relationship between factors of delivery
services and satisfaction of delivery services.
Table 10.6
Relationship between Delivery Services Offered by TTDC
Overall
Satisfaction
Advance Tour Restaurant
Factors Crew Coach Accommodation level of
Booking Guide and Food
Delivery
Service
Advance
1
Booking
Crew 0.946** 1
Coach 0.888** 0.892** 1
Tour Guide 0.871** 0.898** 0.887** 1
Restaurant and
0.904** 0.928** 0.896** 0.951** 1
Food
Accommodation 0.898** 0.907** 0.844** 0.903** 0.932** 1
 Overall
Satisfaction
0.929** 0.954** 0.911** 0.942** 0.959** 0.933** 1
Regarding
Delivery Service
[Source: Primary Data]
Note: ** Denotes significant at 1% level.
Since the P value is less than 0.01, the alternative hypothesis is accepted at 1 percent
level of significance. Hence it is concluded that there is a strong and positive relationship exists
between factors of delivery services offered by TTDC and overall satisfaction regarding delivery
services. This implies, if the level of delivery service factors of TTDC increases, the level of
satisfaction regarding delivery service also increases.
It is clear from the above table that maximum correlation exists between restaurant and
food and satisfaction of delivery service (0.959), followed by crew and satisfaction of delivery
service (0.954), tour guide and satisfaction of delivery service (0.942), accommodation and
satisfaction of delivery service (0.933), advance booking and satisfaction of delivery service
(0.929) and coach and satisfaction of delivery service (0.911). There is also a pair wise strong
and positive relationship exists between the factors of delivery services.
f) Regression
Alternative Hypothesis (H13): There is a significant impact of factors of delivery services and
overall satisfaction regarding delivery service
Table 10.7
Model Summary
Multiple R value R Square value Adjusted R2 value Standard Error
0.980 0.960 0.957 1.161
(Source: Primary Data)
Table 10.8
ANOVA
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F value Sig (P value)
Regression 3005.224 6 500.871
Residual 125.416 93 1.349 371.411 <0.001**
Total 3130.640 99
(Source: Primary Data)
Note:
1. **Denotes correlation is significant at 1% level.
 2. USC = Unstandardised Co-efficient, SE = Standard Error, SC = Standardised Co-efficient.
Dependent variable (Y) = Overall Satisfaction of Tourist Regarding Delivery Services.
Independent/predictor variable = Advance Booking (X1), Crew (X2), Coach (X3), Tour Guide
(X4), Restaurant and Food (X5) and Accommodation (X6)
Table 10.9
Coefficients
Variables USC SE SC t value P value
(Constant) 0.527 0.473 1.113 0.269
Advance Booking 0.112 0.119 0.066 0.939 0.040*
Crew 0.173 0.044 0.302 3.944 0.001**
Coach 0.099 0.052 0.102 1.887 0.032*
Tour Guide 0.180 0.067 0.188 2.673 0.009**
Restaurant and Food 0.141 0.056 0.221 2.517 0.014*
Accommodation 0.144 0.065 0.138 2.202 0.030*
[Source: Primary Data]

Note:
1. ** Denotes significant at 1% level
2. * Denotes significant at 5% level
The factors of delivery services namely advance booking, crew, coach, tour guide,
restaurant and food and accommodation in the above table revealed that overall satisfaction of
the tourists regarding delivery services can be predicted at R2 = 0.957. In this model, the value of
R2 denotes that 95.7% of the observed variability in overall satisfaction of the tourists regarding
delivery services can be significantly explained by factors of delivery services. The remaining
9.4% is not explained which means the rest 4.3% of the variation of overall satisfaction of the
tourists regarding delivery services is related to other variables which are not depicted in this
model.
Since the p value is less than 0.01, the alternative hypothesis is accepted at 1 percent level
of significance. Hence the linear combination of factors of delivery services are significantly
related to overall satisfaction of the tourists regarding delivery services (F = 371.411and P =
<0.001**).
The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) equation for predicting overall satisfaction of tourists
regarding delivery services is:
Overall Satisfaction of Tourists Regarding Delivery Services (Y)
= 0.112X1+0.173X2+0.099X3+0.180X4+0.141X5+0.144X6+e
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.112 which represents the direct relationship between advance
booking and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other variable as
constant. The estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of advance booking,
there is a 0.112 unit increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services and
it is significant at 5% level.
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.173 which represents the direct relationship between coach
and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other variable as constant.
The estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of coach, there is a 0.112 unit
increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services and it is significant at
1% level.
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.099 which represents the direct relationship between crew and
overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other variable as constant. The
estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of crew, there is a 0.099 unit
increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services and it is significant at
5% level.
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.180 which represents the direct relationship between tour
guide and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other variable as
constant. The estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of advance booking,
there is a 0.180 unit increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services and
it is significant at 1% level.
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.141 which represents the direct relationship between
restaurant and food and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other
variable as constant. The estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of
restaurant and food, there is a 0.141 unit increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding
delivery services and it is significant at 5% level.
The co-efficient of X1 is 0.141 which represents the direct relationship between
accommodation and overall satisfaction of tourists regarding delivery services, holding other
variable as constant. The estimated positive sign indicates that for each additional unit of
accommodation, there is a 0.141 unit increase in the overall satisfaction of tourists regarding
delivery services and it is significant at 5% level.
XI. CONCLUSION
This study discusses about the service delivery gap with special reference to Tamil Nadu
Tourism Development Corporation at Chennai city. Based on the mean and standard deviation, it
has been concluded that there is a huge gap between the service standards and service delivery
provided by TTDC. Consequently, it is suggested to TTDC to take substantial steps regarding
modification of delivery services according to the updated trends and up to the expectations of
the tourists. Based on the t-test and ANOVA, there is a significant relationship between gender,
travel mode, age, duration of trip and frequency of trip. Hence, it has been suggested to TTDC to
consider socio-demographic factors while offering service delivery to the tourists. Based on
correlation and regression, it has been concluded that there is a significant relationship between
service delivery factors and tourists satisfaction. Therefore, to improve the tourists’ satisfaction
TTDC should improve the performance of factors affecting delivery services namely advance
booking, crew, coach, tour guide, restaurant and food and accommodation. Modification of these
factors benefits TTDC to have a competitive edge over other tourists sectors. It also makes the
customer to have positive perception of delivery service which in turn enhances their satisfaction
towards TTDC.
XII. POLICY IMPLICATIONS
India is a tourism product which is unparalleled in its beauty, uniqueness, rich culture
and history has been aggressively pursuing the promotion of tourism both internationally as well
as in the domestic market. There is a need to take steps to improve the present scenario of
tourism that includes extending facility of visa-on-arrival to tourists from more countries and
ensuring safety of tourists.
Now a day, it is significant to understand how customer expectation is formed in order
to identify the factors of delivery service satisfaction in the context of tourism industry. It is the
results of match between the service delivery specifications required by management and the
actual service that is delivered by service provider.
Based on the information gathered, majority of the tourist prefer to have online booking
of tickets. Thus, it has been proposed to TTDC to adopt effective online services which includes
complete information regarding places, best package notification, exact time of arrival and
departure, accommodation, restaurant, secured payment, ticket cancellation, immediate payback
and grievance handling services.
From the analysis, it is inferred that to some extent women are dissatisfied with the
services provided by TTDC than men. . Because women may expect more in terms of security,
comfort, food, accommodation etc. Hence, considerable steps to be taken by TTDC to make
differentiation in their services according to gender
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