Tourist satisfaction has become an increasingly important topic for destination management organisations because it serves as a reliable yardstick to assess overall performance. A good understanding of tourist satisfaction levels, as well as the dynamic changes in these levels, benefit ts not only the service industries that focus on inbound tourism, but also the government regulators and private investors that have a vested interest in the development of a high-quality tourism infrastructure. Improving tourist satisfaction levels is likely to contribute to an enhanced reputation for both service providers and the destination as a whole. In addition, consumer studies indicate that an improvement in these satisfaction levels may contribute to increased consumer loyalty, reduced price elasticities, a lower cost of future transactions and improved productivity (Anderson et al., 1994; Swanson and Kelley, 2001).