Although Malaga is a major tourist destination, research focused on the coastal area.
However, the interior of the province has a growing tourism industry, so this tourism
industry needs to be studied. The goal of this study was to analyse the attractiveness
of this destination through the perceived quality of tourists’ experiences, measuring
the effect of each agent involved in tourists’ overall assessment of the destination.
Using a two-step factorial analysis of data gathered with 660 valid questionnaires
collected through an on-the-ground survey, the composition structure and
relationships of satisfaction factors in the destination were identified. Subsequently,
the relationships between each agent with tourists’ overall assessment of the
destination were extracted. The results suggest that tourism businesses are primarily
responsible for the final quality of this destination, followed by organisations
responsible of the management of tourism resources. Further, the results also show
that there is room for improvement in quality. The worst ratings were given for the
quality of leisure facilities and restaurants, while the aspects most valued by users
have a low capacity for differentiation (i.e. climate, courtesy and value for money).
Therefore, this tourist destination would benefit from implementing a system of
integrated quality management.
