RESEARCH ON TOURISTS' SATISFACTION LEVEL IN BATAM

Abstract

Batam is an Indonesian island 20 km from Singapore that receives over 167,000 visitors per year, mostly arriving from Singapore. Visitors to Batam can be divided into two categories: Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans, with Singaporeans comprising 60% of the tourist population. This dissertation attempts to examine and compare the satisfaction level of these two groups of vacationers with respect to their trips to Batam. In order to collect information on tourists' vacation satisfaction, a survey was conducted with a sample size of 100 persons. Satisfaction level was measured with respect to five elements, namely quality of facilities, price of facilities, convenience of transport, overall trip to Batam and intention to visit Batam again. Regarding quality and price, visitors were asked to give ratings for six selected types of facilities ~ water sports, other sports, entertainment, shopping, restaurant and hotel From the research findings, it can be concluded that non-Singaporeans generally have higher satisfaction level than Singaporeans. Most of the visitors gave an above average rating on their trip to Batam, and over 80% of both Singaporeans and non- Singaporeans expressed the intention to visit Batam again. Overall trip satisfaction is more highly correlated with quality than with price, particularly for non-Singaporeans, as indicated by a correlation coefficient of 0.60 between visitor satisfaction with quality and overall satisfaction. However, there is a lack of consensus in terms of level of satisfaction among the respondents probably because, according to other research, people's level of satisfaction are largely determined by factors other than the actual trip experience.