Using visitor survey data to plan the rejuvenation of a tourism destination. The case of Sirmione

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight how the results of a visitor satisfaction survey may provide valuable inputs to develop a strategic plan to rejuvenate Sirmione, a tourism destination on the Garda Lake, in Italy. Sirmione represents an interesting case study because in recent times it has undergone significant changes (related to the type of arriving tourists, the services offered by the destination, etc.) but it is still a “successful” tourism destination. Therefore, a plan to rejuvenate Sirmione may appear useless. Nonetheless this study intends to demonstrate that the tourism planners of this destination may anticipate future weaknesses and threats through the detailed analysis of the data provided by a visitor satisfaction survey. As a result, tourism planers may proactively plan strategic interventions to improve the qualitative and quantitative performance of the destination. Methodology/Approach A survey was conducted among 328 visitors in Sirmione in August-September 2015. The results were analyzed through several techniques, including descriptive statistics and analysis of mean differences. These findings were then interpreted and discussed during workshops with Sirmione’s hospitality operators. Findings Overall, the findings show that visitors are remarkably satisfied with hospitality services (including lodging and eating facilities) but are less satisfied with the quality of the shopping services. These findings, together with the others presented in the paper, suggest that visitors do not perceive Sirmione as a uniform, consistent tourism destination. Based on the analysis of the collected data, the paper highlights a list of priority interventions which may be implemented to reduce inconsistencies in the perceptions of visitors and to strengthen the position of Sirmione. Research Limitation/implication The analysis is based on data collected only in the August-September period. As tourism seasonality is a major characteristic of Sirmione, collecting new evidences in the other periods of the year may strengthen the findings. Originality/Value of paper This paper considers the issue of rejuvenation for a tourism destination that, apparently, does not need to be rejuvenated. By doing so, the analysis underlines the importance for a destination’s planners of studying the evolving perceptions of visitors to anticipate future changes and plan timely interventions. This study also emphasizes that studying visitors perceptions through research based on solid methods may provide useful inputs to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to develop a plan to rejuvenate a tourism destination.