Contributions of the cruise tourism servicescape to perceived value, delight and expenditure: National identity as a moderator

Servicescape represents a main aspect of cruise tourism as space is confined and guests stay onboard for a long time. This study sets out to examine: first, the direct effects of cruise servicescape on cruise perceived value, guest delight and guest in-house expenditure; second, the mediation effects of both cruise perceived value and guest delight in the linkages between cruise servicescape and guest in-house expenditure; third, the moderation effects of national identity on the linkages between cruise servicescape and both perceived value and guest delight. A questionnaire survey was developed and administered among guests of cruise tourism. The study utilized PLS-SEM to examine the hypothesized model based on collected data from 218 cruise guests. The findings indicated a significant positive influence of cruise servicescape on perceived value, delight and expenditure. Guest delight significantly mediated the association between servicescape and guest expenditure while perceived value did not. National identity has positively moderated the linkage between servicescape and guest delight but not the association between servicescape and perceived value. The findings of this study add to the hospitality literature and its implications enable cruise managers to better use servicescape as a key stimulator for guest delight and expenditure.