ELABORATION OF HOLISTIC TOURIST SATISFACTION INDEX MODEL FOR LITHUANIA

As the importance of tourism managements is becoming recognized worldwide, many scholars start talking about tourist satisfaction as the main driver of the tourism sector. Satisfaction measurement and determination of its antecedents has become a field for tourism research and scientific discussion. Tourist satisfaction indices were started to elaborate for many countries (e.g., Malaysia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Croatia, etc.); however, considering satisfaction as a multifaceted construct, every single case has to be viewed and assessed separately. Achieving to complement to the body of knowledge, this manuscript proposes a holistic tourist satisfaction index model for Lithuania. The paper aims to aggregate the previously approved tourist satisfaction indices in a framework of Lithuania into a holistic model to be applied regarding the existing circumstances. The proposed model is a final step of the numerous previous researches, aggregating their results and proposing guidelines for tourist satisfaction improvement and loyalty assurance in a bundle of possible tourism-related situations regarding Lithuania as a place. The proposed holistic tourist satisfaction index model encompasses six previously elaborated models: Inbound tourist satisfaction index model; Emigrants’ satisfaction index model; Outbound tourist satisfaction index model; The model of Lithuanian tourist satisfaction with European summer holiday destinations index; Local tourist satisfaction index model; and Rural tourist satisfaction index model; therefore, guidelines for any tourismrelated situation, whether it was domestic (local), inbound, or outbound tourism, are provided. Moreover, as in every situation, different antecedents of tourist satisfaction were determined; the holistic model stops practitioners, as well as scholars from taking unavailing decisions.