The European DSI table for the May to August holiday period was topped by Montenegro (8.5), followed by Austria and Slovakia (each with an overall score of 8.4). Austria excelled in safety, customer service and scenery, whereas the relatively new holiday destination of Montenegro scored highly for atmosphere/flair, weather and beaches.
Top of the global charts for the period May–August 2017 were the Maldives (8.8). In the Americas, that accolade went to Panama and the Bahamas with a Destination Satisfaction Index of 8.7.
Let us look individually at the important KPIs of safety, accommodation and, in the summer months, beaches. The following destinations led in each of these areas of satisfaction:
No other destination worldwide was able to match the Maldives' safety score (9.4). The highest-scoring European destination was Austria with a score of 8.9.
"It is striking that holidaymakers perceive significantly higher levels of safety in remote destinations, islands and other resorts with a media image publicising their rigid security policy than they do in other, equally popular destinations," reports Dennis Pyka, CEO of dp2research.
The Maldives also came top globally in the important area of accommodation (9.4) for this period. They led Abu Dhabi (9.2) and the Bahamas (9.0). The top European country in this list was Cyprus (scoring 8.7), followed by Turkey, Portugal and Austria (each scoring 8.6).
The holiday period from May to August is primarily focused on beach holidays. The Maldives led the world in beach satisfaction, too (scoring 9.5). In Europe, Cyprus was the top destination (8.6), just ahead of Montenegro and Greece (each scoring 8.5).
Now let us look at the source markets surveyed and holidaymakers' levels of satisfaction with the information available and the booking process in cases where tour operators were involved. Interestingly, Mexicans were the most satisfied with their service providers. They were followed in second and third place by the two largest outbound markets in the world, the USA and Germany.
Marc Leimann, director of Norstat Germany comments: "It seems that established source markets with comprehensive and complex tour operator infrastructure better serve holidaymakers in planning and booking their holidays than is the case in markets where only international platforms may be dominant."
Finally, let us take a quick look at the NPS (Net Promoter Score). In addition to comprehensive polling on holiday satisfaction, the DSI also captures holidaymakers' intent to return (NRS) and their rate of recommendation (NPS) of their holiday destination.
The Maldives have a winning reputation, landing the worldwide top spot for the survey period with a score of 77 (out of 100). The top European destination in this analysis received an NPS score of 56 and was also the top European destination for overall satisfaction, i.e. the somewhat unlikely candidate of Montenegro.
Displaying DSI, NRS and NPS scores together on a dashboard provides a unique and holistic insight into holidaymakers' satisfaction and loyalty.
The data currently displayed on the dashboard refers to trips between January and August 2017. The data will be extended at the start of 2018 to include trips taken up to the end of December 2017.