Department of Geography, SoGAER, Amory Building, Rennes Drives, Exeter EX4 4RJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1392263357; Fax: +44 (0)1392263342; E-mail: A.Weidenfeld@ex.ac.uk

Received 20 September 2005.

Abstract

In the current competitive environment, the tourism and hospitality industries are constantly searching for new customer segments and for ways of improving competitiveness. Thus, the provision of religious aspects in the hospitality product could prove a valuable and integral part of the customer's orientation. This paper highlights the importance of satisfying religious needs to increase the satisfaction of customers. This is the first time empirical findings concerning the religious needs of tourists have been examined, and the study is based on a sample of 179 Christian tourists in Israel. This research suggests that the tourists' religious needs constitute an independent area of research and that satisfying religious needs in the accommodation industry should be taken into consideration in the marketing process.