Diseño de lineamientos metodológicos de gestión de la calidad del servicio en los emprendimientos de turismo sostenible de las parroquias rurales del cantón Riobamba, Estudio de caso: Palacio Real, Calpi

Abstract

This research project has as its main objective to design some methodological guidelines of the quality service at some sustainable tourism ventures in the Riobamba rural parishes. This is a case study of “Palacio Real”. Surveys about the service quality current situation were performed to local and foreign tourists, and free interviews were done to managers about their perceptions of it. These surveys and interviews identified some critical points of food service, tourist guiding, and lodging to establish the management dimensions, the service provision indicators, and the strategies for future improvement. The methodological proposal confronts the perception of quality from the point of view of visitors against the perception of quality from the point of view of managers considering efficiency and efficacy in order to evaluate quali – quantitatively the features for each indicator within the established dimensions. The research showed the following results: food service has been rated as “excellent” with 82.8%, tourist guiding as “very good” with 76.4%, and lodging as “good” with 59.2%. It is concluded that the service offered by “Palacio Real” is very good because it satisfies the visitors’ expectations. It is recommended to establish a short term strategy for improving process management.