Examining the Tourist Perceptions Towards Beach Tourism in Bangladesh

This study examines perceptions of tourists towards beach tourism in Bangladesh. The researchers considered Cox’s Bazar as the case which is the world's longest natural and unbroken sea beach in Bangladesh. The research is conducted with the aim of identifying key influencing factors and their relative impacts on tourist perception in beach tourism. The study employed a mixed-methods approach where the data were collected through structured questionnaire survey. The data was collected from 302 domestic tourist using simple random sampling. The authors performed exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression to analyse the collected data. The study found that tourists have positive opinion with natural attractions and sea waves of the beach. On the other hand, tourist think that improvement is needed in washroom facilities, guide services, and pricing policy of the beach. The study also found five factors (amenities, health and hygiene, social interaction, accessibility, and attraction) that is associated and influence tourist perceptions in beach tourism destinations. The researchers extracted that amenities have the strongest influence followed by health and hygiene, social interaction, accessibility and attraction. This study enriches the existing literature extending multidimensional perception models which emphasis on the functional service attributes than natural appeal to form tourist perceptions. The study suggested policymakers to prioritize infrastructure upgradation, improved hygiene and sanitation condition, and training of the host community for forming positive tourist perception and enhancing tourist satisfaction and loyalty.