Effect of Service Quality on Tourist Satisfaction using Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA):A Case of Selected Hotels in Hawassa City, Ethiopia

The main objective of the study was to assess the effect of service quality on tourist satisfaction in selected star hotels at Hawassa City, Ethiopia by using Importance- Performance Analysis. Convenience sampling technique was employed to approach the respondents. A total of 165 tourists from the selected hotels were approached for the data collection. The findings of the study show that tourist satisfaction in the services rendered by the two hotels under the study was found to be medium and its quality was also fair. Only few service attributes are lacking in the hotels which were considered as important by the respondents. Also the customers were dissatisfied on few service attributes of the hotels. Nonetheless, it is surprising to note that the hotels under study provide incentives to the employees. The two hotels under study have their own mechanisms of motivating and retaining their workers through training and providing incentives for improving service quality in their hotels.