GUESTS FIRST: DEVELOPING A MODEL FOR EVALUATING SERVICE QUALITY IN CLUSTERED HOMESTAY SETTINGS

Abstract

The evolution of tourism in China has entered a new phase, marked by a surge in demand across a spectrum of tourism facets, extending beyond the conventional elements into realms such as business, wellness, education, leisure, emotion, and distinctiveness. This transformation has been fueled by the rising preference for personalized travel experiences, creating a niche market within the broader landscape of mass tourism. Homestay accommodations, as a category of non-standard lodging, have garnered significant attention from travelers in this changing landscape. The "2019 Mainland China B&B Development Data Report" revealed that the transaction volume in the homestay market surpassed 20 billion in 2019, signaling consistent growth in the number of homestay properties and operators. Moreover, online accommodation market penetration rates have continued to climb, with online searches for homestays surpassing that of hotels by 1.33 times.

As travel patterns expand and diversify, homestay accommodations, considered relatively novel and distinctive, are poised to undergo transformative changes in their business models and service offerings. This shift has led to the evolution of the homestay industry, progressing from isolated single homestays to branded homestays and, ultimately, to clustered homestay networks. This evolution represents a shift away from low-end, single-product offerings, homogenous development, self-employment, and decentralized distribution to a model characterized by advanced and unique leisure products, differentiated development, corporate management, and clustered deployment