Includes bibliographical references and index.

1 Defining encounter theory -- 2 Encountering interactive roles -- 3 Knowing the travel customer's role -- 4 Managing the travel situation -- 5 Positioning the travel provider -- 6 Appealing to the travel and provider roles -- 7 Nuances of interpersonal interactions -- 8 Going beyond satisfaction to loyalty -- 9 Where do we go from here?.

Customer satisfaction and loyalty in the tourism sector is highly dependent upon the behaviours of front-line service providers. Service is about people, how they relate to one another, fulfill each other's needs and ultimately care for each other. Yet surprisingly there are few or any books which focus on the detailed specifics of the social exchange and interaction between the service provider and customer. "Tourist Customer Service Satisfaction" fully explores this relationship by defining the specific kind of verbal and non-verbal messages needed for successful exchanges, outlini.