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Service Quality and PilgrimSatisfaction in TirumalaTirupati Devasthanams

Dr. G. VamshiAssistant Manager,State Bank of India,

Tirupati - 517501 (AP)

MUMBAI NEW DELHI NAGPUR BENGALURU HYDERABAD CHENNAI PUNE LUCKNOW AHMEDABAD ERNAKULAM BHUBANESWAR INDORE KOLKATA GUWAHATI

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FOREWORD

Since India is the most religious country, visiting temples and holysites is a significant spiritual event for all Indians, particularly Hindusfrom times immemorial. In the wake of burgeoning pilgrim populationand attendant demands for pilgrim services at these places, it is astupendous task for those saddled in the management of religiousinstitutions to provide quality services. Unceasing and dedicatedendeavors spanning over half a decade of the author who is bestowedupon him a rare blend of conceptualization and analysis, has taken theshape of the present volume which is a must reading for varied publics-academics and students of services, marketing, managers of religioustourism and religious institutions, pilgrim consumer groups, etc.

Chapter one of the book is a curtain-raiser conducting the readersinto concepts of service, quality, and service quality models such as“Expected-Perceived Service Quality” model, “Ideal Point” model and“Performance-based” model. Scholarly and balanced review, one canfind, of state-of-the-art instruments of service quality measurement.

Backdrop of the book is world-renowned Tirumala-Tirupatipilgrim complex which is managed by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams(TTD). The author provides at one place a spectrum of sacred andsecular services TTD provides to the pilgrims, which turns to be hand-book to the potential pilgrims, besides presenting modes of accessingthese services and pilgrim route-map of Tirumala-Tirupati. The authorcomes with long-term projections going into 2020 of pilgrims visitingTirumala, utilizing tonsure and free meal services, which gears up theservice providers to plan on long-term basis to avert supply-demandimbalances.

Another interesting theme dealt with by the author with all deftnessis a vivid presentation of profiles of pilgrims along with theirdemographic, economic and travel behaviour characteristics. What ismore to the theme is the extent of pilgrim utilization of TTD-providedsacred and secular services is explained away in terms of these pilgrimcharacteristics. The result is the illuminating facts that emanated fromthe scientific treatment of pilgrim data as related to utilization ofservices.

Ultimately, it is the pilgrim perception of TTD services that countsmuch as it reflects their assessment, evaluation and ranking of services.Pilgrim perceptions reported and narrated in the book, cover

comprehensively both sacred and secular services of TTD. Pilgrims arecategorized along with satisfied-dissatisfied continuum, usingstatistically treated perceptual data collected from sample pilgrimsthrough pretested questionnaire for its reliability and validity. Thisentire exercise imparts rigor to the analysis and, indeed, a substantialvalue addition to the present volume. Pilgrim perceptions are presentedin well designed tables, distributing pilgrims into different perceptualcategories and giving summary statistics namely mean scores andstandard deviations.

Services provided by TTD on which a reader finds tersepresentation of pilgrim perceptions are; (1) Bus service between Tirupatiand Tirumala, (2) Amenities along walkway, (3) Accommodation,(4) Tonsure, (5) Darshan, (6) Laddu prasadam, (7) Free meals,(8) Miscellaneous services, (9) Information dissemination and(10) Complaint resolution. The above presentation in the book is justgood, catering to the interests of academic professional group, andlaymen who can gain understanding of pilgrims’ degree of satisfaction-dissatisfaction on each dimension without being bothered aboutcomplexities of statistical techniques. With all authenticities andsolemnity, we vouchsafe reading of the present volume forcomprehending relevant wide-ranging dimensions of services at pilgrimcenters and associated attributes that fall under each dimension. Thisknowledge enables service providers to focus on activities andobjectives for maximizing pilgrim satisfaction.

Towards the end of the book, the reader gains a thoroughunderstanding of the quality of TTD services and pilgrim satisfactionpresented in the presage-process-product framework. “Presage” aspectis elaborated in the beginning of the volume in terms of demographic,economic and travel behaviour characteristics. Pilgrims visitingTirumala religious center come with these three sets of givencharacteristics which are subsumed in a single word “presage”.“Process” variables, that is, pilgrim perceptions are outcome ofinteraction of “presage” variables and TTD administration that providessacred and secular services. “Product” aspect is the final outcome, that is,pilgrim satisfaction. Author of the book deftly handles data, usingadvanced statistical tools such as factor analysis and multiple regressionanalysis to bring out the variation in dependent variable, pilgrimsatisfaction, as influenced by independent variables, pilgrim perceptionsof TTD services. Presage variables are also related to overall pilgrimsatisfaction, and cause-effect relations are discussed threadbare.

On reading the book from cover to cover, one surely ends up withthe feeling of having read a useful book which is an outcome of longyears of fruitful research efforts spanning over more than half decade inthe area of service quality in general and pilgrim services and pilgrimsatisfaction in special. To sum up, at the end we endorse the book fromthe bottom of our heart as a welcome addition in the domainknowledge–service quality and consumer satisfaction.

Prof. C. Sivarami ReddyFormer Registrar, Yogi Vemana University,

Kadapa, AP. India

Prof. M. Munirami ReddyRetd. Professor, Dept. of Commerce,

Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, AP

PREFACE

Travel for religious purposes, i.e., pilgrimage is an importantaspect of lives of people around the world. India is a land of pilgrimage,which is the main motivation for majority of domestic tourists in thecountry. During such visits, pilgrims require various services at thepilgrimage destinations. Usually, such services are provided by religiousorganizations managing the respective religious centers.

Tirumala, located in eastern ghats in the state of Andhra Pradesh inIndia, is a pilgrimage destination of immense religious importance toHindus all over the world. It attracts more than 50,000 pilgrims everyday and 100 thousand on peak days. Pilgrims visiting the shrine requiresecular services like transportation, accommodation, food, informationdissemination, etc., and sacred services like darshan(seeing the God)and tonsure(form of vow fulfillment). Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams,TTD in short, is the independent trust managing the temple and itsallied activities. While TTD provides the sacred services exclusively,the secular services are provided by private players as well.

The present study attempts to assess the quality of pilgrim servicesprovided by the TTD and the satisfaction levels of the pilgrims with thesame. It involves interviewing 500 pilgrims during a three month periodabout their demographic and travel behaviour characteristics, extent ofservice utilization, and satisfaction with the above mentioned services. Thestudy also identifies the key dimensions of the services, improvement inwhich will have an positive impact on overall pilgrim satisfaction. Thestudy also analyses the past trends of pilgrim inflows availing differentservices and projects the demand for the same in the future.

The study contributes to the handful of research available onevaluation of service quality in pilgrim services. It brings to light thedimensions underlying pilgrim service quality of religious organizations,and their relative importance in contributing to pilgrim’s overallsatisfaction. As far as practitioners’ interests are concerned, the studyhelps religious organisations like TTD to evaluate the quality of thepilgrim services they offer to understand the current satisfaction levelsof pilgrims and the areas that need improvement. Implementation of therecommendations of the study in actual practice at such destinations willbe of much help to achieve a higher level of pilgrim satisfaction thereby,making their pilgrimage a pleasurable one.

AuthorG.Vamshi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSAny work is surely like a river, composed of innumerable

tributaries, though apparently it appears a unified flow. Same holds trueof this humble piece of mine. As such, I must put on record theinvaluable contributions of the obvious as well as non-obvioustributaries to the flow of my research.

I deem it a great honour and unique privilege to express mysincere and heartfelt gratitude to my research supervisor,Prof. C. Sivarami Reddy, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Commerce,SVU College of CM & CS, Tirupati for the invaluable help, consistentguidance and wise counsels extended right from the selection of thetopic to successful completion of the research work.

I am also highly grateful to Prof. M. Munirami Reddy, RetiredProfessor, Department of Commerce, SVU College of CM & CS,Tirupati, for all his academic guidance, moral support and cooperationthroughout this period.

The officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams deserve their dueshare of my adoration, for providing all the necessary informationrequired for the research. Let me express my thankful apologies to 500pilgrims in my sample who not minding the disturbance to their questfor Lord, wholeheartedly and patiently spared their valuable time inproviding invaluable and useful information which formed the hard datafor this research work.

I thank Mr. Uday Bhate for supporting me navigate thelabyrinthine analysis and interpretation of the voluminous data in theresearch. I also thank Prof. G. Raghuram, Mr. Chandrasekhar, Mr. IanStross, and Mr. Niranjan for providing timely information required formy study.

I express my heartfelt and loving gratitude to all of my familymembers who have directly or indirectly helped me to complete thisresearch work.

Finally, I thank an NGO by name Enable India, Bengaluru that hashelped me learn the use of screen reading software which enablesvisually challenged people operate computers, and another NGO byname Retina India for not only providing the moral support in my life,but also helped me finding the data analyst for my research.

G. Vamshi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

TTD : Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

APSRTC : Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation

TUDA : Tirupati Urban Development Authority

TCS : Tata Consultancy Services

PAC : Pilgrims Amenities Complex

CRO : Central Reception Office

KKC : Kalyana Katta Complex

NAC : Nitya Annadanam Complex

VQC : Vikuntam Queue Complex

CAG : Compound Annual Growth

IIM : Indian Institute of Management

CONTENTS

Foreword (iii) - (v)

Preface (vii)

Acknowledgments (viii)

List of Abbreviations (ix)

Contents (xi) - (xiii)

List of Tables (xiv) - (xxi)

List of Figures (xxii)

1 Introduction 1 – 27

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Religious Tourism

1.2 Literature Review

1.3 Earlier Pilgrim-focused Studies in TTD

1.4 Statement of the Problem

1.5 Need for the Study

1.6 Research Methodology

2. Pilgrim Services of TTD 28 – 552.0 Introduction

2.1 Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD)

2.2 Services of TTD

2.3 Flow Chart of Pilgrims’ Activities

2.4 Classification of TTD Services

2.5 Pilgrim Inflows and Utilisation of TTD-provided Services

2.6 Summing Up

3. Demographic, Economic and Travel BehaviourProfiles of Pilgrims 56 – 76

3.0 Introduction

3.1 Demographic Characteristics of Pilgrims

3.2 Economic Characteristics of Pilgrims

3.3 Travel Behaviour Characteristics of Pilgrims

3.4 Summing Up

4. Pilgrim Utilisation of TTD Services 77 – 1064.0 Introduction

4.1 Transportation

4.2 Accommodation

4.3 Tonsure

4.4 Darshan

4.5 Free Meals

4.6 Miscellaneous Services of TTD

4.7 Pilgrim Visits to Holy Sites at Tirumala and Temples inTirupati

4.8 Summing Up

5. Pilgrim Perceptions of TTD Services 107– 1395.0 Introduction

5.1 Overall Satisfaction of the Pilgrims with TTD Services

5.2 Pilgrim Perceptions of Bus Service Between Tirupati andTirumala

5.3 Pilgrim Perceptions of Amenities Along Walkway

5.4 Pilgrim Perceptions of Accommodation

5.5 Pilgrim Perceptions of Tonsure

5.6 Pilgrim Perceptions of Darshan

5.7 Pilgrim Perceptions of Laddu Prasadam

5.8 Pilgrim Perceptions of Free Meals

5.9 Pilgrim Perceptions of Miscellaneous Services

5.10 Pilgrim Perceptions of Information Dissemination

5.11 Pilgrim Perceptions of Complaint Resolution

5.12 Summing Up

6. Pilgrim Satisfaction with Individual and OverallServices of TTD 140 – 171

6.0 Introduction

6.1 Relationship between Pilgrims’ perceptions of TTDServices and Overall Satisfaction

6.2 Difference in Overall Satisfaction in Relation toDemographic Characteristics

6.3 Difference in Overall Satisfaction in Relation to EconomicCharacteristics

6.4 Difference in Overall Satisfaction in Relation to TravelBehaviour Characteristics

6.5 Summing Up

7. Summary of Findings, Conclusions andRecommendations 172 – 208

7.0 Introduction7.1 Theoretical Framework7.2 Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams: The Case Study

Organisation7.3 Statement of the Problem7.4 Need for the Study7.5 Scope of the Study7.6 Objectives of the Study7.7 Hypotheses7.8 Data Sources7.9 Data Analysis

7.10 Findings of the Study7.11 Conclusions7.12 Recommendations

7.13 Directions for Further Research

Appendix: Interview Schedule 209 – 229Bibliography 230 – 234

LIST OF TABLES

No. Table PageNos.

2.1 Accommodation at Tirupati 332.2 Accommodation at Tirumala 35

2.3 Daily Sevas 40

2.4 Weekly Sevas 40

2.5 Periodical Sevas 40

2.6 Headcount of Pilgrims Having Had Darshan 49

2.7 Headcount of Pilgrims Having UtilisedTonsure Services

51

2.8 Headcount of Pilgrims Having Utilised FreeMeal Services

54

3.1 Size Distribution of Pilgrim Groups 56

3.2 Age Distribution of Heads of Pilgrim Groups 57

3.3 Distribution of Heads of Pilgrim Groups byTheir Education Levels

58

3.4 Occupational Distribution of Heads of PilgrimGroups

58

3.5 Distribution of Heads of Pilgrim Groups byTheir State of Origin

59

3.6 Annual Income Distribution of Pilgrim Groups 60

3.7 Distribution of Sample Pilgrim Groups byExpenditures at Tirupati and Tirumala in thePresent Tour

61

3.8 Per Capita Pilgrim Expenditure Levels inTirupati and Tirumala in Current Trip

62

3.9 Annual Incomes by Pilgrim Groups CrossClassified by Their Expenditure at Tirupatiand Tirumala on TTD Provided Services inthe Current Trip

63

3.9 A Chi-Square Test Results 633.10 Pilgrim Group Overall Expenditures in the 64

Current Trip

3.11 Per Capita Pilgrim Expenditure Levels in theCurrent Trip

65

3.12 Pilgrim Group Annual Incomes by TheirEntire Expenses

66

3.12 A Chi-square Test Results 66

3.13 Pilgrim Groups by Distance Travelled toReach Tirupati from Their Places of Origin

67

3.14 States of Origin of the Pilgrim Groups by theDistance Travelled to Reach Tirumala

68

3.15 Pilgrim Groups by Distance Traveled toReach Tirumala and Annual Incomes

69


3.16 Purpose of Current Visit of Pilgrim Groups toTirumala

70

3.17 Timing of Pilgrim Group Visits to Tirumala 70

3.18 Timing of Visit of Pilgrim Groups by TheirPurpose of Visit

71


3.19 Distribution of Heads of Pilgrim Groups byNumber of Visits

72

3.20 Lead Time of Current Visit to Tirumala byPilgrim Groups

72

3.21 Lead Time of the Current Visits of PilgrimHead To Tirumala by Number of Prior Visits

73

3.21 A Chi-square Test Results 733.22 Distribution of Pilgrim Groups by Days

Stayed at Tirumala and Tirupati74

3.23 Distribution of Pilgrim Groups by Duration ofthe Current Trip

74

3.24 Stay Duration of Pilgrim Groups at Tirupatiand Tirumala by Current Trip Duration

75

4.1 Modes of Transport Used by Pilgrim Groupsto Reach Tirupati

77

4.2 Pilgrim Group by Their Using Modes of 78

Transport in Reaching Tirumala from Tirupati

4.3 Pilgrim Groups by Their Use of Modes ofTransport to Reach Tirumala and Purposesof Tirumala Visits

79


4.4 Pilgrim Groups by Their Places of Stay atDestination in Current Trip

80

4.5 Pilgrim Groups by Type of AccommodationAvailed

80

4.6 Pilgrim Groups by Their Annual Incomes andType of Accommodation They Availed atTirumala

81


4.7 Pilgrim Groups by Size and Type ofAccommodation

83


4.8 Pilgrim Groups by Mode of Booking TTDAccommodation

84

4.9 Pilgrim Groups by Education Levels of TheirHeads and Mode of Booking TTDAccommodation

84


4.10 Occupation of Heads of Pilgrim Groups andMode of Booking Accommodation

85


4.11 Mode of Booking TTD Accommodation byStates of Origins of Pilgrim Groups

87


4.12 Lead Time of Trip of Pilgrim Groups to Tirumalaby Mode of Booking Accommodation

87


4.13 Help Sought in Booking TTD Accommodation 88

4.14 Pilgrim Groups by Tonsure Facility Availed 894.15 Sex-Wise Distribution of Pilgrim Group

Members by Tonsure Facility Availed89

4.16 Pilgrim Groups by Availing Tonsure andPurpose of Visit

90


4.17 Pilgrim Groups by Darshan Type 91

4.18 Pilgrim Groups by Their Annual Income andDarshan Type

92


4.19 Pilgrim Groups by Mode of Booking Darshan 93

4.20 Pilgrim Group Heads by Education Levelsand Mode of Booking Darshan Ticket

94


4.21 Heads of Pilgrim Groups by Occupation andMode of Booking Darshan Ticket

95


4.22 Lead Time of the Trip of Pilgrims to Tirumalaand Mode of Booking Darshan Ticket

96


4.23 States of Origin of Pilgrim Groups and Modeof Booking Darshan Ticket

97

4.23 A Chi-square Test Results 974.24 Pilgrim Groups by Help Sought in Booking

Darshan Ticket98

4.25 Pilgrim Groups As Availors and Non-Availorsof Free Meal Facility

98

4.26 Perception of Non Availors of Free Meals 99

4.27 Pilgrim Groups by Availing Free Meals andAnnual Incomes

99

4.27 A Chi-square Test Results 1004.28 Pilgrim Groups by Purpose of Visit and Avail

of Free Meal Facility100

4.28 A Chi-Square Test Results 101

4.29 Pilgrim Groups As Availors or Non-Availorsof TTD Miscellaneous Services

101

4.30 Utilisation of Individual Miscellaneous Services 102

by Pilgrim Groups

4.31 Pilgrim Groups by Number of MiscellaneousServices of TTD Availed

102

4.32 Pilgrim Groups As Visitors or Non-visitors ofHoly Sites

103

4.33 Pilgrim Groups by Individual Holy SitesVisited at Tirumala Other ThanVenkateswara Temple

103

4.34 Pilgrim Groups by Number of Holy TouristSites Visited Other Than VenkateswaraTemple at Tirumala

104

4.35 Pilgrim Groups As Visitors and Non-visitorsof Temples In and Around Tirupati

104

4.36 Temples Visited In and Around Tirupati 105

4.37 Pilgrim Groups by Number of TemplesVisited In and Around Tirupati

105

4.38 Presents the distribution of pilgrim groups bytransport arrangement for visiting temples inand around Tirupati.

105

5.1 Overall Pilgrim Satisfaction with the TTDServices

108

5.2 Perception of Attributes of Bus ServiceBetween Tirupati and Tirumala

109

5.3 Perception of Quality of Attributes ofAmenities Along Walkway

110

5.4 Pilgrim Perceptions of Quality of Attributes ofTTD Provided Accommodation at Tirupati andTirumala

111

5.5 Waiting Time in the Queue forAccommodation

112

5.6 Rentals of TTD Accommodation 113

5.7 Payment of Grease Money for Availing TTDAccommodation

114

5.8 Problem Occurrence in Accommodation 114

5.9 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of Tonsureservice

116

5.10 Waiting Time for Tonsure 117

5.11 Grease Money Paid to Tonsuring Employees 117

5.12 Problem Occurrence in Tonsure Service 118

5.13 Pilgrim Perception of Free Darshan 120

5.14 Waiting Time for Free Darshan 1215.15 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of Attributes of `

50 Darshan123

5.16 Waiting Time for ` 50 Darshan 124

5.17 Pilgrim Perceptions of Quality of Attributes ofArjitha Sevas and Special Darshans

126

5.18 Waiting Time of the Pilgrims for ArjithaSevas and Special Darshans

127

5.19 Price Paid for Arjitha Seva/Special Darshan 1285.20 Payment of Grease Money for Entry Into

Darshan128

5.21 Problem Occurrence While Having Darshan 129

5.22 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of Attributes ofLaddu Prasadam

130

5.23 Pilgrim Perception of Free Meal Service 131

5.24 Waiting Time for Free Meals 1325.25 Problem Occurrence in Free Meals 133

5.26 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of Miscell-aneous Services

134

5.27 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of InformationDissemination at Tirupati and Tirumala byTTD

136

5.28 Pilgrim Perception of Quality of InformationDissemination through SV Bakthi Channel

137

5.29 Pilgrims with Complaints and No Complaints 138

5.30 Knowledge About the Complaint ReceivingAuthority

138

5.31 Pilgrim Perception of Complaint Resolution 139

6.1 Correlation between Overall Satisfaction andThree Attributes of Bus Service between

141

Tirupati and Tirumala

6.2 Regression Results of Three Attributes ofBus Service and Tourists’ Overall Pilgrims’Satisfaction

142

6.3 Factor Analysis Results of Perception ofAttributes in Amenities Along the Walkway

143

6.4 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with TwoFactors of Amenities Along the Walkway

144

6.5 Regression Results of Pilgrims’ OverallSatisfaction Level Based on Physiologicaland Safety Needs and Religious Ambienceand Medical Care

145

6.6 Factor Analysis Results of Perception ofAttributes in Accommodation

147

6.7 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with FourFactors of Accommodation

148

6.8 Regression Results of Pilgrims’ OverallSatisfaction Level Based on the Dimensions

150

6.9 Factor Analysis Results of Perception ofAttributes in Tonsure Service

151

6.10 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with FourFactors of Tonsure Service

153


154

6.12 Factor Analysis Results of Perception ofAttributes in Darshan

155

6.13 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with TwoFactors of Darshan

156


157

6.15 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with FiveAttributes of Laddu Prasadam Service

158


159

6.17 Factor Analysis Results of Perception ofAttributes in Free Meals

161

6.18 Correlation for Overall Satisfaction with TwoFactors of Free Meals

162

6.19 Regression Results of Pilgrims’ OverallSatisfaction Level Based on Two Factors

163

6.20 ANOVA for Demographic Characteristics 164

6.21 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forEducation Level

165

6.22 ANOVA for Economic Characteristics 166

6.23 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forFamily Annual Income

166

6.24 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forExpenditures at Tirupati and Tirumala

167

6.25 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forExpenditures at Entire Trip

168

6.26 ANOVA for Travel Behaviour Characteristics 169

6.27 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forNumber of Visits

170

6.28 Multiple Comparison Using Scheffe forDuration of Stay at Tirupati and Tirumala

170

7.1 Pilgrim Preferences of TTD Services inRelation to Their Annual Incomes

199

LIST OF FIGURES

FigureNo.

Title PageNos.

1.1 Model Depicting Hypothesis 1 and 2 20

1.2 Model Depicting Hypothesis 3 and 4 22

2.1 Organisation Structure of TTD 30

2.2 Types of Accommodation Facilities 33

2.3 Mode of Booking Accommodation 35

2.4 Darshan Types 37

2.5 Flow Chart of Pilgrims 43

2.6 Sacred and Secular Services of TTD 45

2.7 Free and Paid Services of TTD 46

2.8 Projection of Pilgrim Utilisation of Darshan Service 48

2.9 Projection of Pilgrim Utilisation of Tonsure Service 52

2.10 Projection of Pilgrim Utilisation of Free MealService

53

1.0 INTRODUCTIONTourism is a vibrant subsector of India contributing significantly to

employment and income generation and foreign exchange earnings.Besides, expenditure on tourism has multiple ripple effects of far-reaching nature along its value chain, which conduces economic growthhaving a favourable impact on poverty alleviation. Tourism is anumbrella concept in which are subsumed sightseeing, holidaying,education, attending important events, business, etc. Apart from itseconomic ramifications, it has a social purpose of bringing peopletogether from diverse cultures across the globe, promoting cross-culturalrelationships and understanding.

Taking into account tourism’s combined impact - direct, indirectand induced - on Indian economy its share in 2011 was 6.4% in GDP,7.8% in employment, 5.1% in investment, and 3.8% in exports. Theforecast for next ten years is; rise of 7.7% in GDP, 1.7% in jobs, 5.2% inexports, and 7.5% in investment (23). According to ministry of tourism,the number of foreign tourist arrivals in India in 2011 was 6.29 millionwith an annual growth rate of 8.29 per cent over the previous year,which is higher than UNWTO’s projected growth rate of 4% to 5% forthe world and 7% to 9% for Asia and Pacific. The foreign exchangeearnings from tourism in 2011 was ` 77591 crores with an annualgrowth rate of 19.6%, over those 2010(21). Thus, tourism is asubstantial contributor to the Indian economy.

1.1 RELIGIOUS TOURISMReligious tourism is considered to be a specific type of tourism

where tourists’ motives are many and varied, either partially orexclusively religious-motivated, and are connected with holiday-making.

IntroductionChapter 1

2 Service Quality and Pilgrim Satisfaction in TTD

The key aspects of pilgrimage, such as motivation for the trip, and avisit to sacred destinations are used to explain religious tourism,whereas leisure and holiday activities occur as supplementaryopportunities. Most theorists opine that religious tourism is multi-layered concept and involves multifunctional and multi-purpose trips.Olsen and Timothy identified three broad sub-themes of religioustourism: differentiating pilgrim from tourist or pilgrim-touristdichotomy, the demographic and travel behavior characteristics ofpilgrims, and economics of religious tourism. Religious tourism isusually undertaken for one or more of the following purposes: (a) toperform pilgrimage as an act of worship; (b) to express gratitude,confess a sin, and to fulfill a vow; (c) to achieve social and spiritualsalvation; and (d) to commemorate and celebrate certain religious events.

1.1.1 RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN INDIA

The world tourism market is no longer about “one shoe fitting all”.Each region of the world is seeking to project its major attractions.India’s major advantage in the religious tourism lies in its uniquereligious heritage and culture. India is a land of pilgrimage, and travelfor religious purposes has been inherent in its culture from the ancienttimes. All the religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism - havemajor and minor religious centers in different parts of the country.Famous Hindu pilgrimage centers are Vaishno Devi (Jammu andKashmir), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Shirdi (Maharashtra), Tirumala(Andhra Pradesh), and Shabarimala (Kerala), .

1.1.2 CONTRIBUTION OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM ININDIA

The Domestic Tourism Survey conducted in 2002–03, by theMinistry of Tourism, brought out that travel for religious purpose andpilgrimage formed the most significant component in domestic tourismwith more than 100 million people travelling to various religious events,temples and pilgrimage sites. Further, it revealed that the short-termtrips by middle- and upper-income groups contributed a substantialshare of travel to sacred sites nearly 50% of package tours, and almost20% of one-day trips are for religious and pilgrimage purposes(22).This clearly demonstrates that religious tourism has a major role in theIndian tourism industry.

Introduction 3

1.1.3 PILGRIM SERVICES IN RELIGIOUS TOURISM

Pilgrims' socio-economic characteristics, and the specific time andpurpose of pilgrimage determine their needs for transport,accommodation, food, catering, etc., during their visits to the pilgrimagedestinations. Thus, pilgrimage destination and religious centres shouldhave and offer all such facilities meeting the pilgrim's religious andspiritual needs as well as their secular needs to retain their desire to visitthe destination time and again. Provision of pilgrim services is acontinuous process of planned action for the development, improvement,maintenance, monitoring, assessment and control of such services.Such an effort becomes very challenging and demanding due to boutsof pilgrim flux, and heavy and ever changing nature and extent of needsbacked up by their burgeoning purchasing power and conceptualreinterpretation of the pilgrimage tourism.

Pilgrims being from different sociocultural backgrounds should besatisfied with quality services which should be regularly evaluated andimproved upon based on customer feedback. Issues relating to theinternal and external provisioning of pilgrim services should carefullyaddress present service strategies be carefully adjusted to meet thechanging needs of the pilgrims. In the light of the aforesaid discussion,the major focus in religious centers’ service strategy is on pilgrimsatisfaction with respect to pilgrimage-related products and services likereligious services, accommodation, food, transportation, infrastructurefacilities and information dissemination.

There is a vague feeling that the pilgrim services at pilgrimdestinations fall short of pilgrim requirements and expectations. Sincethe assessment of pilgrim service quality in religious organizations is anunder-researched area, the present study has been undertaken to evaluatethe quality of services provided by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams topilgrims. Capturing their present experiences in availing variousservices, improvements can be suggested in the delivery of pilgrimservices by TTD in order to make their trip a pleasurable andmemorable one.

The remainder of this chapter is divided into the following sections.First, the literature on service quality in general, and pilgrim servicequality in particular is reviewed. Next, the methodology adopted for thestudy is presented.


1.2 LITERATURE REVIEWThis section presents a comprehensive review of topic-relevant

literature to research into pilgrim service quality concept and itsevaluation. An attempt is now made to present the literature pertainingto the concepts of service, quality, and service quality evaluation.

Service sector is a dominant, competitive and high-growth sector.As such, service quality has emerged as a significant dimension and hasdrawn much attention since the deregulation in India of many serviceindustries such as banking, telecommunications and utilities initiated in1990s. High levels of service quality are needed in many a business fortheir survival, let alone for success. Service quality has emerged as asignificant one that companies have gone to great extent to evaluate andkeep high levels of service quality.

Added dimension to service quality is a referral and repeatcustomers perspective. Service providers not performing up to theexpectations of the customers receive negative service quality ratingswhich, in turn, cause negative word-of-mouth communications to runrampant. Conversely, service providers’ performance meeting orsurpassing the customers’ expectations can have a spread of positiveword-of-mouth which ultimately results in repeat customers andreferrals.

Service quality survey instruments developed to measure thequality of services of a company are conducive to bring animprovement in the quality of services, based on the results of thesesurveys. Thus, the better the organizations understand how theircustomers evaluate their services, the better they provide what theircustomers desire and need.

Different models developed in this area have taken approaches inpresenting the ways users evaluate service quality, are validated andaccepted using rigorous scientific analysis and testing across servicesettings. One thing common in almost all the models is that servicequality should be evaluated from the customer’s viewpoint, not from theproviders’. Therefore, all the service quality models ensued from datacollected from questionnaire, a research instrument, developed andadministered to end-user sample respondents to elicit their opinions onservice quality. Responses, thus, collected were analysed to understandthe current levels of customers’ perceptions of the quality of serviceoffered, and identifying the areas in which service quality improvements

Introduction 5

were required. Hence, service quality models help practitioners toevaluate their service offerings.

1.2.1 CONCEPT OF QUALITY

Literature on the subject is mostly conceptual with a little, if any,empirical support. Further, most of the published works prior to the late1980s came from practitioner sources rather than academic research.According to Zeithaml, academic research on quality heavily leaned onunidimensional rating scales which allow the respondents to interpretquality in any way they choose, and end - users’ interpretation of thequality was missing. Even those researchers who did attempt to definequality were quick to comment on how difficult it was to define quality.As Williams and Zigli note, “Conceptually, it is not hard to grasp themeaning of quality. However, when it comes to writing an operationaldefinition of quality, certain technical and perceptual problems lead toambiguity and misunderstanding”(20).

1.2.2 QUALITY DEFINED

Many definitions of quality have been proposed in the literature.Following is the list of definitions most commonly referenced in theliterature.

1. Quality is (1) a peculiar and essential character; a distinctiveinherent feature; (2) degree of excellence or degree ofconformance to a standard; (3) inherent or intrinsic excellenceof character or type; superiority in kind;…. (4) a special ordistinguishing attribute”. (Webster’s Third New InternationalDictionary, 1986)(14). This definition has exclusive referenceto product attributes and characteristics.

2. “The totality of features and characteristics of a product orservice that bears on its ability to satisfy given needs.”(ANSI/ASQC, 1978)(2). This definition brings to bear on theability of the product on need satisfaction. Thus, it has externalreference to the satisfaction of given wants with requisitecharacteristics.

3. “A simple definition of quality is ‘fitness for use’. Thatdefinition must be quickly enlarged, because there are manyuses and users.” (Juran., 1988)(10). This definition is focused


on use-suitability of the product, suggesting the need forenlargement of uses and users of the product.

4. Quality has to be defined as conformance to requirements. Thisdefinition places the organisation in the position of operating tosomething other than opinion and experience. It means that thebest brains and most useful knowledge will be invested inestablishing the requirements in the first place. They will not beused in determining what can be done to smooth over the roughplaces. (Crosby, 1984)(5).

5. “Quality is the degree to which a product or service conforms toa set of predetermined standards related to the characteristicsthat determine its value in the marketplace and its performanceof the function for which it was designed.” (Adam, Hershauer,and Ruch 1986)(1).This definition brings forth the conformanceaspects of the product or service characteristics, to the prior-set standards, which are the determinants of market value andfunctional performance of the product or service.

6. “The quality of a product is the degree of conformance of all ofthe relevant features and characteristics of the product to all ofthe aspects of a customer’s need, limited by the price anddelivery he or she will accept.” (Groocock, 1986)(8). Thisdefinition focuses on customer need aspects along withconformance elements of the product characteristics, subject toits price and delivery the customers will accept.

7. “Quality is the index that reflects the extent to which thecustomer feels that his need, the product, and his expectationsfor the product overlap. The relevant measure of quality doesnot reside in the product. It resides between the customer’sears.” (Thurston, 1985)(19). The quality of the product is whatthe customer feels with regard to overlap of his need, productsand his expectations. Thus quality of the product resides in theconsumer mind.

8. “Products have characteristics that describe their performancerelative to customer requirements or expectations…The qualityof a product is measured in terms of these characteristics.Quality is related to the loss to society caused by a productduring its life cycle i.e., Taguchi Loss Function.” (Ross,1988)(17). This definition is extended one roping in losssociety suffers during use - life cycle of the product.

Introduction 7

9. “Quality is a judgment by customer or users of a product orservice: it is the extent to which the customers or users believethe product or service surpasses their needs and expectations.”(Gitlow, Gitlow, Oppenheim, and Oppenheim, 1989)(6). Thisdefinition brings to the central stage the users’ expectations.Quality, thus, is the extent to which the product or servicesurpasses users’ expectations.

10. “Quality is an assessment of the general goodness of a product.It is the sum total of all the ingredients or components thatcompose the product and that contribute to the values it adds.(Hanan and Karp. 1989)(9). It is value-based definition.Product is good in quality when its ingredients contribute to itsvalue.

11. “Quality is the distinctive tangible and intangible properties of aproduct and/or service that is perceived by the customer asbeing better than the competitor.” (Collier, 1990)(3). This isthe relative measure of quality of product or service asperceived by the customer, comparing the tangible andintangible properties of the given product/service with those ofthe competitive product/service in the market place.

12. “Quality is a word used by an individual to describe whether hisor her perception of a product or service has reached asatisfactory level of excellence.” (Senior and Akehurst,1991)(13). This is customer perception-based definition withreference to satisfactory level of excellence a product orservice reaches.So far discussion is centerd round quality without specificreference to the unique characteristics of services.

1.2.3 SERVICE DEFINED

It is very difficult to define the nature of service itself due to tworeasons. First, most customers have trouble separating goods andservices in their own minds. As Sasser et al observed, “almost allpurchases of goods are accompanied by facilitating services, and almostevery service purchase is accompanied by a facilitating good”(12).Second, according to Gronroos, “service is a complicated phenomenonwith meanings ranging from service as a product to personal service”(7).For aforesaid reasons definitions of services are shrouded withambiguity.


Of the several definitions of service extant in the literature, thefollowing two appear best to overcome these complexities. The firstdefinition is by Sasser et al., where services are defined as “theorganised system of apparatus, appliances, and/or employees forsupplying some accommodation and activities required by the public orthe performance of any duties or work for another” (17). The seconddefinition is by Gronroos where he states that “A service is an activity orseries of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, butnot necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and(1) service employees and/or (2) physical resources or goods and/or(3) systems of the service provider which are provided as solutions tocustomer problems”(9).

From the above two definitions a number of characteristics uniqueto services emerge. First, as noted by Mills, “services entail doingsomething for someone who is unable, unwilling, or incapable of doingit himself or herself”(11). Second, a service represents an “activity,” asdistinguished from a good which is a “thing”. Third, as noted by Collier,a service, being an activity, can take many forms such as “an idea,entertainment, information, knowledge, change in the customer’sappearance, health, social innovational circumstance (being in rightplace at right time), convenience, security”(4).

And finally, as noted by Evans and Lindsay, “the design of servicecan best be compared to the design of a process (i.e. , an activity) ratherthan the design of a thing”.

Using these insights into the meaning of a service it can be saidthat the following four characteristics of services distinguish them fromgoods: (1) Intangibility, (2) Heterogeneity, (3) Inseparability ofProduction and Consumption and (4) Perishability. These uniquecharacteristics of services that affect the measurement, management,and evaluation of service quality, necessitated the development of newtools and methods of measurement of service quality.

1.2.4. CONCEPT OF SERVICE QUALITY

Study and understanding of services and service quality has laggedbehind the understanding of physical goods and their quality.According to estimate by Gummesson, quality management of goodsstarted sixty years earlier than the equivalent effort to manage andunderstand service quality.

Introduction 9

1.2.5. SERVICE QUALITY DEFINED

Gronroos observed that most of the service quality research andtheory development is founded on the perceived service qualityapproach. This approach to defining service quality is most commonlybased on a comparison of (1) a customer’s pre-encounter expectationsfor the service with (2) the customer’s post–encounter perceptions of theservice received. This approach was advocated by Sasser et al., whenthey noted that “the more intangible the service the more weight thebuyer’s perception carries”. Gronroos noted the need to add the“expectations” component when he observed that “quality of the serviceis dependent on two variables: expected service and perceived service”(16). Hence, it can be said that service quality is a function of thedifference between what each customer expects from a service and whatthat customer perceives the service actually provided. Zeithaml et al.,observes “Service quality, as perceived by customers, can be defined asthe extent of discrepancy between customers’ expectations or desiresand their perceptions”(15).

1.2.6 SERVICE QUALITY MODELS

Though there are many models for measuring service quality, onlythose models which assess the quality from the customer’s viewpointare taken for the purpose of the present study.

1.2.6.1 Expected - Perceived (E-P) Service Quality Model

Gronroos (1984) conceptualised a service quality model where heidentified the two variables of quality, expected service and perceivedservice. The expected service is built up through the promotionalactivities of the firm, past experience of the customer with the service,word-of-mouth communication and the need of the customer.Theperceived service, on the other hand, is the result of a customer's view ofa bundle of service dimensions, some of which are technical and othersfunctional in nature, thus, covering both the process as well as outcomeof the service. Gronroos observed that the discrepancy betweenexpectations and perceptions is the primary determinant of customers'service quality assessment

The study has emphasised the need to match the expected servicewith perceived service to achieve customer satisfaction. Its uniquecontribution lies in the fact that this was the first attempt to


conceptualise the service quality from the customers' perspective andformed the base for future studies on service quality.

1.2.6.2 Perceptions-Expectations Model of Service Quality

One of the most systematic research programs in service qualitywas conducted by Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (1985, 1988a,1988b, 1988c, 1988d, 1991, 1994a, 1994b). Parasuraman et al., (1985)developed a conceptual model which defines service quality from thecustomers' perspective and identifies key service-provider gapspotentially responsible for poor service.

The five gaps conceptualized in the model are: Gap 1: differencebetween consumers’ expectation and management's perceptions of thoseexpectations, i.e., not knowing what consumers expect. Gap 2:difference between management's perceptions of consumer'sexpectations and service quality specifications, i.e., improper service-quality standards. Gap 3: difference between service qualityspecifications and service actually delivered, i.e., the serviceperformance gap. Gap 4: difference between service delivery and thecommunications to consumers about service delivery, i.e., whetherpromises match delivery? Gap 5: difference between consumer'sexpectation and perceived service. This gap depends on size anddirection of the four gaps associated with the delivery of service qualityon the marketer's side. According to this model, the service quality is afunction of perception and expectations. In other words, perceivedservice quality was defined as the degree and direction of discrepancybetween consumers' perceptions and expectations.

In this model perceptions (P) were defined as consumers’ post-trialbeliefs about the levels of different attributes in a service.Expectations(E) were defined as desires or wants of consumers, i.e.,what they feel a service provider should offer. Added to this is anotherdefinition which defined the expectations concept as “normativeexpectations or ideal standards of performance.

Through qualitative research they identified a set of tendeterminants of service quality:

1. Reliability,2. Responsiveness,3. Competence,4. Access,

Introduction 11

5. Courtesy,6. Communication,7. Credibility,8. Security,9. Understanding,

10. Tangibles.Having developed a conceptual model, Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and

Berry (1988) also developed a scale, called SERVQUAL, to measurethe construct of service quality. Their study ultimately condensed theabove ten determinants into five dimensions with twenty two items.

Tangibles Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of thepersonnel.

Reliability Ability to perform the perceived service dependably andaccurately

Responsiveness Willingness to help customers and provide promptservice.

Assurance Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their abilityto inspire trust and confidence.

Empathy Caring individualized attention the firm provides to itscustomers.

They also found reliability to be the most critical dimension indetermining service quality followed by responsiveness, tangibles beingthe least.

The SERVQUAL scale was refined by Parasuraman, Zeithaml andBerry in 1991, making two changes in the original SERVQUAL scale.The first refinement was the use of “would” instead of the word“should”, as the latter led the respondents to assign unrealistically highvalues for expectations. The second refinement involved a change inthe wording of the scale. The original SERVQUAL had some itemsnegatively worded and others positively worded in accordance with thescale development guidelines of Churchill (1979). However, thispractice of including negatively worded items amidst positively wordeditems in a long-scale like SERVQUAL lead to respondent confusion, toavoid which Parasuraman, Zeithmal, and Berry (1991) changed all thenegatively worded items to positive ones. In addition to this empirical


research, the authors characterized and further delineated the four gapsidentified in their research of 1985, which led to extended servicequality model. According to this extended model most factors involvecommunication and control process implemented in organizations tomanage employees.1.2.6.2.1 Operationalising the Model

The perceptions minus expectations model operationalises servicequality as the difference between customers’ perceptions of performanceand expectations. Semantically, the model states that service quality isthe difference between perceptions of performance and expectationsscores of individual attributes multiplied by their importance weights,summed over the entire range of attributes.

1.2.6.3 Attribute Service Quality Model

Haywood-Farmer, 1988, developed a model of service quality inwhich they argue that a service organization has “high quality” if itmeets customer preferences and expectations consistently. Theyclassified service quality attributes into three groups: physical facilitiesand processes, people's behaviour and professional judgment. Toomuch concentration on any one of these elements to the exclusion ofother may be inappropriate as it may lead to disaster, e.g., over-emphasizing procedures may give an impression to the customer that hewill be processed as per his sequence.

They further proposed classification schemes for service operationsbased on their relative degrees of labour intensity, process and productcustomisation, and contact and interaction between the customer and theservice organization. For example, services which are low in terms ofcustomers' contact, customization and labor intensity (transportation,accommodation, etc.), are closer to physical facility and processattribute of the model. Thus, special care must be taken in this instant toprovide reliable and user-friendly equipment and simple processes forusing the service.

1.2.6.4 Synthesised Model of Service Quality

Brogowicz et al., in 1990, developed a synthesised service qualitymodel which presents the overall service quality gap as a result of bothtechnical and functional quality gaps. The model considers three factors,viz., company image, external influences and traditional marketingactivities as the factors influencing technical(what) and functional(how)

Introduction 13

quality expectations. The uniqueness of the model is that it argues thatservice quality gap may exist even when a customer has not yetexperienced the service but learned through word-of-mouth, promotionor through other media communications. Thus, there is a need toincorporate potential as well as actual customers' perceptions of servicequality experienced. Management must plan, implement and control theservice offering to limit, reduce, or eliminate service quality gaps.

1.2.6.5 Ideal Point Model of Service Quality

The ideal point model developed by Teas in 1993, for explainingcustomers’ perceptions of service quality is an alternative to P-E model.Teas (1993), developed “ideal point model” to overcome incompatibilityof the P-E model when expectations for an attribute are interpreted asideal points. The incompatibility occurs due to the different ways thecustomers process vector and ideal point attributes of the service.

In the case of vector attributes, there is a positive monotonicrelationship between perceptions of performance and quality evaluation.In contrast, in the case of ideal point attributes there exists only apositive monotonic relationship between perceptions of performanceand quality evaluation when performance is less than or equal to theideal point. In the case of performance exceeding the ideal point, thisrelationship becomes a negative monotonic relationship, indicating thatcustomers negatively evaluate performance once the ideal point isexceeded. This negative monotonic relationship beyond the ideal pointis the distinguishing feature of the ideal point attribute of the servicequality.

As noted earlier, the P-E model treats all service attributes asvector attributes in measuring customers’ perceptions of service quality,but in reality the attributes are ideal point attributes, which makes themodel incompatible with the actual evaluation process. Hence, whenexpectations are treated as ideal points, a model congruent with thecustomers’ evaluation process is necessary to measure service quality.1.2.6.5.1 Operationalising the Model

The ideal point model operationalises service quality as negativelyrelated to the absolute value of the difference between perceptions ofperformance and ideal point of expectations. Semantically the modelstates that service quality is inversely related to the absolute value of thedifference between perceptions of performance and ideal point


expectations of individual attributes multiplied by their importanceweights, summed over the entire range of attributes.1.2.6.6 Performance-based Model of Service Quality

The performance-based model of service quality was formulatedby Cronin and Taylor (1992). According to this model, service qualitydepends on two factors: 1) Customers beliefs about the levels ofdifferent attributes present in a service, and 2) importance weights ofattributes as assigned by the customers.1.2.6.6.1 Operationalising the Model

The performance-based model operationalises service quality asdirectly related to customers’ perceptions of performances and theimportance weights of various attributes given by them. Semantically,the model states that service quality is the product of perceptions ofperformance scores of individual attributes multiplied by theirimportance weights, summed over the entire range of attributes.

1.2.6.7 PCP Model of Service Quality

Philip and Hazlett (1997) proposed a model that takes the form of ahierarchical structure based on three main classes of attributes – pivotal,core and peripheral. According to the model, every service consists ofthree, albeit overlapping, areas where the vast majority of thedimensions and concepts which have thus far been used to defineservice quality. These levels are defined as – pivotal (outputs), coreand peripheral (jointly representing inputs and processes).

The pivotal attributes are considered collectively to be the singlemost determining influence on why the consumer decided to approach aparticular organization and exert the greatest influence on thesatisfaction levels. They are defined as the “end-product” or “output”from the service encounter; in other words, what the consumer expectsto achieve and receive, perhaps even take away, when the serviceprocess is duly completed.

Core attributes can best be described as the amalgamation of thepeople, processes and the service organizational structure through whichconsumers must interact and/or negotiate so that they canachieve/receive the pivotal attribute. The third level of model focuses onthe peripheral attributes which can be defined as the “incidental extras”or frills designed to add a “roundness” to the service encounter andmake the whole experience for the consumer a complete delight.

Introduction 15

All these attributes have impact on the service quality outcome ofan organization. When a consumer makes an evaluation of any serviceencounter, he is satisfied if the pivotal attributes are achieved, but as theservice is used more frequently the core and peripheral attributes maybegin to gain importance. If the pivotal feature of the service deliveredis of consistently high standard, then the consumer will begin to lookmore rigorously and thoroughly at the core and peripheral features tosee if they also come up to the same high standard. The challengefacing any service, therefore, is to delight the customer in all threeareas – pivotal, core and peripheral attributes – so that the servicebecomes 100 per cent satisfactory.

All the above studies discussed so far were exploratory researchestested in many businesses around the world. Though each of thesemodels has some limitations, every model is unique as it suits aparticular setting better than the other.

1.2.7 SERVICE QUALITY IN RELIGIOUSORGANISATIONS

Despite the importance of services of religious organisations andreligious tourism, researchers have paid scant attention to the religiousservices and the key determinants of their quality at a religious center.If the administration of religious organisation recognises and identifiesthe critical factors that influence satisfaction of pilgrims, it can initiatenecessary steps in providing and improving services to the pilgrims. Infact, worldwide a clear understanding of key factors influencing thepilgrim satisfaction with services is awfully inadequate in spite of alarge body of literature on service quality evolved from research studiesconducted in various other sectors.

1.2.7.1 Definition of a Pilgrim

According to G. Sridhar et al., “A tourist can be called a pilgrimif the purpose of travel to a place is to perform rituals driven by religionor spirituality, and not any activity remunerative in nature” (18). Theyalso state that a pilgrim can visit any of the following four types ofattractions: (1) natural attractions, (2) man-made objects created forpurpose other than attracting pilgrims and eventually become attractions,(3) sights constructed from the beginning as attractions and culturalevents, and (4) religious events. Pilgrimage to sacred place as an act ofreligious devotion is an age old tradition followed by religions all over


the world, especially in India. Pilgrimage involves travelling,sightseeing, visiting different places, in some cases, voyaging by air orsea, etc., and buying the local memorabilia.

1.2.7.2 Pilgrim Satisfaction

Dr. G. Sridhar et al., made a study, “Pilgrim Satisfaction withReligious Event” wherein they evaluated the pilgrim satisfaction with aBudist religious event in India. They defined pilgrim satisfaction as “theoutcome of the pilgrims’ subjective comparison of the expected andactual services and facilities provided by religious organisation” (18).Thus, satisfaction with religious centers indicates the quality of servicesrendered by the organisation, and prevents negative evaluation andunfavourable word-of-mouth. Their study revealed four dimensions ofpilgrim service quality, viz., basic facilities, support facilities, enhancers,and concerns, with basic facilities being the highest contributor tooverall satisfaction.

1.2.7.3 Operationalisation of Satisfaction Construct inPilgrim Services

Sridhar et al., operationalised service quality on the basis ofperformance evaluation, excluding the expectation concept. Many ascholar has attempted to measure attribute satisfaction so as to identifythe extent of consumer satisfaction with products and services. Attributesatisfaction refers to individual assessment of the degree to which aservice performance is perceived to have met or exceeded desires andexpectations.

Evaluation of service quality is usually made at two levels,transaction level and cumilative level. With regard to pilgrimsatisfaction, transaction-specific service quality is a post-experienceevaluative judgment of specific transaction the pilgrim would haveencountered with each of the attributes of the services provided by theorganisation. Cumulative satisfaction, on the other hand, is the overallevaluation, based on the entire experience of the pilgrims with respect toall the services provided by the organisation.

The present study adopted “service quality in pilgrimorganizations” as operationalised by G. Sridhar et al., It considersservice quality of individual attributes of the various services providedby TTD, takes into account the cumulative satisfaction, and attempts toestablish the relationship between the two.

Introduction 17

1.3 EARLIER PILGRIM-FOCUSED STUDIESIN TTDThis section reviews the earlier studies on pilgrim services in TTD,

and explains the methodology adopted in each of them.

1.3.1 STRATEGIES TO HANDLE PILGRIM POPULATIONIN TIRUMALA: A STUDY BY INDIAN INSTITUTE OFMANAGEMENT, AHEMDABAD

In 1998, a research team from IIMA, on a request from TTDmanagement, made a study by name “Strategies to Handle PilgrimPopulation in Tirumala” wherein it studied how to regulate the pilgrimflows at Tirumala. It classified the services at Tirumala into darshanam,arjitha sevas, temple-related services which include tonsuring at KKC,free meals at NAC, sale of Laddu Prasadam, transportation servicecarrying pilgrims between Tirupati and Tirumala, and accommodationservices at Tirupati and Tirumala. This study documented the variouspilgrim flows and processes, segment-wise pilgrim traffic,accommodation, distribution of prasadams and other major alliedactivities, ways to increase pilgrim throughput, strategies to regulate theinflow of pilgrims in peak periods and slack periods, and strategies toimprove the quality of waiting time. The team, analysing the secondarydata pertaining to pilgrims’ utilisation of various TTD services collectedfrom the registers at different service points of TTD, studied past andpresent trends, and came with future projections. It also madequestionnaire survey, collecting pilgrims’ preferences and priorities asto utilisation of TTD services. It also compared services at Tirumalawith those at three important shrines in India namely Shabarimalai inKerala, Shirdi in Maharashtra, and Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu andKashmir.

1.3.2. DEVOTEE SATISFACTION SURVEY BY CENTERFOR MEDIA STUDIES, DELHI

Center for Media Studies, New Delhi, in 2000, made a devotee-satisfaction survey at Tirumala with the overall objective of capturingdevotees' perceptions, preferences and satisfaction with various servicesand facilities provided by TTD, and priorities in utilising the offeringsmade by them. Questionnaire instrument was used in the study for


collecting primary data from devotees. Questionnaires wereadministered to a) devotees at Tirumala requiring them to rate theiroverall satisfaction with the TTD-provided services and theirsatisfaction levels with different individual services; b) to devotees atother important shrines across the country like Birla Mandir(Hyderabad), KanakaDurga temple (Vijayawada), Meenakshi temple(Madurai), Rameswaram, Kasi Vishwanath temple, Shirdi, Akshardhamtemple (Delhi), Poori Jaganath temple, Vaishno Devi temple (J&K), etc.,requiring them to rate their satisfaction with the services at therespective shrines keeping in view the quality of services at Tirumalawhen they visited Tirumala; and (c) to donors of different schemes ofTTD requiring them to rate their satisfaction with the functioning ofTTD with respect to utilisation of the pilgrim-offered funds.

The questionnaire consisted of various aspects of pilgrims’satisfaction–overall satisfaction, connectivity from other cities,connectivity between downhill and hilltop, accommodation facilities,employees' behaviour, darshanam, prasadam, utilisation of funds,corruption issues, perception about TTD services.

Though, there were some other studies conducted by TUDA, TCSand Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, access couldn’tbe gained to those studies.

1.4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMEvaluation of service quality has become paramount for all the

organisations in all industries both in the public and the private sectors.Though service quality has been evaluated in industries so diverse asbanking, hospitals, electric utility, telephones, car rentals, dry cleaning,etc., till date there is hardly any study to evaluate quality of services ofreligious organisations with the pilgrim focus.

Tirumala Venkateswara temple is the most visited Hindu temple inthe world with the annual pilgrim inflow of 2,43,89,291 in 2009,averaging 66,820 pilgrims a day. On peak days the daily average shootsup to 1,00,000; as a result the devotees hardly get a few seconds ofdarshan.

One of the vernacular newspaper by name “Vartha” has beenreporting the experiences of pilgrims at Tirumala on a weekly basis forthe past few years. Content-analysis made on about 100 articles of thissort unraveled both positive and negative feelings of pilgrims about the

Introduction 19

services provided by TTD, focusing on pilgrims’ priorities,expectations, experiences, difficulties and their suggestions to TTD.From this, it was felt that there are some problems either unaddressed orimproperly addressed in the earlier studies. There is a dire need forscientific evaluation of TTD services from the pilgrims’ viewpoint,adopting a managerial approach.

1.5 NEED FOR THE STUDYFirst, since TTD spends huge amount of money every year in

providing services to pilgrims, it is to be judiciously spent for which theknowledge of pilgrim satisfaction is imperative. If the key factorsinfluencing the pilgrim satisfaction are identified, focused-spending canbe resorted to. Second, TTD, besides providing services on daily basis,organises various mega periodical events like Brahmautsavams whichare attended by large number of pilgrims from near and far. Usuallythese event-occurrence periods form the pilgrim peak flows. Pilgrims, ifsatisfied with the arrangements, spread positive word-of-mouth, and therepeat visits and referral visits to Tirumala abound. Third, pilgrimsatisfaction is a reflection of the quality of services TTD provides,which serves as a yardstick for measuring the success of TTD inprovision of best possible amenities to the pilgrims.

Though TTD provides wide-ranging services to Tirumala-visitingpilgrims, no comprehensive, analytical study has been carried out withscientific insight. Hence, to the best of our knowledge, the present studyis first of its kind, evaluating quality of TTD-provided services from thepilgrims’ perspective.

1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThis section explains the objectives, model specification of the

study, hypotheses, sample, data collection, tools of data analysis, andfinally the organisation of the thesis.

1.6.1 OBJECTIVES

The following are the specific objectives of the study:1. To study the growth trends of pilgrims availing different types

of darshanams, tonsure and free-meal services;


2. To analyse the demographic, economic, and travel behaviourcharacteristics of the pilgrims to Tirumala;

3. To study the extent of utilisation of TTD provided services bythe pilgrims;

4. To identify dimensions of the service quality of pilgrimservices of TTD as perceived by the pilgrims;

5. To evaluate the pilgrim perceptions of quality of TTD-providedservices;

6. To study the relationship between TTD services’ attributes andthe overall satisfaction of the pilgrims; and

7. To identify the differences in the overall satisfaction of thepilgrims in terms of their demographic, economic, and travelbehaviour characteristics.

1.6.2 MODEL SPECIFICATION OF THE PRESENT STUDY

The present study is an empirical research involving testing of pre-set hypotheses. First, the study attempts to investigate the relationshipamongst pilgrims’ demographic, economic, and travel behaviourcharacteristics, and further the relationship between these characteristicsand extent of utilisation of TTD-provided services by the pilgrims.Second, the study aims at identifying the key factors that influencepilgrim satisfaction of TTD-provided services, and the relationshipbetween satisfaction with individual services and pilgrims’ overallsatisfaction. Third, the study sought to identify the relative contributionto the pilgrims’ overall satisfaction of pilgrims’ demographic, economic,and travel behaviour characteristics.

HH1

AnnualFamilyIncome

Choice ofUtilisation of

Free andPaid

TTD Services

Expenditureincurred in

thePilgrimage

Fig.1.1: Model Depicting Hypothesis 1 and 2

Introduction 21

TTD-provided pilgrim services evaluated in the present studyinclude bus service between Tirupati and Tirumala, amenities along thewalk way to pedestrians, accommodation service at Tirupati andTirumala, tonsure, darshan, laddu prasadam, free meals, and othermiscellaneous services. Attributes of different TTD-provided servicesconsidered in the current study include waiting time and speed ofdelivery, employee behaviour, procedures, physical characteristics,expertise, convenience, price, and information dissemination.

1.6.3 HYPOTHESES

The following null hypotheses are posited for testing in the study.1(a). There is no relationship between the incomes of pilgrim groups

and the expenditures they incurred at Tirupati and Tirumala onTTD services.

1(b). There is no relationship between the incomes of pilgrim groupsand the expenditures they incurred in the entire trip.

2 (a). There is no relationship between annual incomes of the pilgrimgroups and their utilisation of free- and paid- TTDaccommodation.

(b) There is no relationship between annual incomes of the pilgrimgroups and their utilisation of free- and paid- darshan.

3. There is no relationship between the attributes of the TTD-provided services and the overall pilgrims’ satisfaction.

4 (a) There is no significant difference in overall satisfaction ofpilgrim groups across demographic categories.

(b) There is no significant difference in overall satisfaction ofpilgrims across categories based on economic characteristics.

(c). There is no significant difference in overall satisfaction ofpilgrims across categories based on travel behaviourcharacteristics.


4 a

H3

Demographic

Characteristics

Economic

Characteristics

Travel

Behaviour

Characteristics

Pilgrims Overall

Satisfaction

Satisfaction

With Individual

Services’

Attributes

4 b

4 c

Fig .1.2: Model Depicting Hypothesis 3 and 4

1.6.4 DATA SOURCES

The study is based on both primary and secondary data. Secondarydata was culled out from the TTD records pertaining to pilgrim flows toTirumala for the past few years and pilgrims’ utilisation of tonsure,darshan and free-meal services provided by TTD. Primary data werecollected through structured schedule to interview sample pilgrims atpilgrim service points at Tirumala and Tirupati. The survey wasconducted over a 4-month period from September 2009 to December2009, covering pilgrim peaks of Bramhauthsavam in September 2009,Vaikunta Ekadashi in December 2009, January 1st 2010, and a slackpilgrim season of November 2009.

1.6.4.1 Interview Schedule: A Research Tool used forGenerating Primary Data

The schedule used in the study was developed, reviewing instantliterature on service quality, instruments developed and used in the paststudies on TTD services, pilgrims’ experiences reported in articlespublished in dailies, and relying on intuition knowledge of theresearcher.

The schedule consisted of 3 sections. Section-A collected data onrespondents’ demographic characteristics (group size, age of the

Introduction 23

respondent, education level, occupation, and place of origin), economicvariables (family income and expenditure incurred in the pilgrimage)and travel behaviour characteristics (purpose of visit, timing of visit,lead time preparing to travel, number of earlier visits, length of stay atTirumala and Tirupati). These were the first set of independentvariables of the study.

Section-B elicited pilgrims’ perceptions about the TTD-providedservices. Respondents were first requested to rate their overallsatisfaction with TTD services on a 7-point scale ranging fromextremely dissatisfied (1) to extremely satisfied (7). Then pilgrims’perception scores with the attributes of different TTD-providedindividual pilgrim services were recorded on a 5-point Likert-type scaleranging from very dissatisfied (1) to very satisfied (5). Bus servicebetween Tirupati and Tirumala, amenities along the walkway ofreaching Tirumala from Tirupati, accommodation provided by TTD atTirupati and Tirumala, tonsure service at Tirumala, different types ofdarshans, laddu prasadam, free-meal, and some other miscellaneousservices were the ones evaluated by the pilgrims. Factors generatedout of pilgrim perceptions of attributes of TTD-provided servicesformed the second set of independent variables of the study. Overallsatisfaction associated with the pilgrims’ perceptions of utilised services,is dependent variable in the study. Section-C captured the problemsfaced by pilgrims while availing TTD-provided services like greasemoney demanded at different service points, and other problems likelong waits, jostling in queues, employees’ discourteous behaviour, etc.

1.6.5 SAMPLE

The sample respondent population of this research study are the headsof pilgrim groups who visited Tirumala from September to December2009. As the total population of pilgrims is difficult to estimate, samplesize is calculated assuming that it being infinite.

The formula applied is: s = (z/e)2

Where,s = the sample sizez = is the number relating to the degree of confidence one

wishes to have in the result.Since 95% confidence level is most frequently used and accepted,

this has been taken as confidence* level. The value of ‘z’ is 1.96 for95% confidence level


e = the error that one is prepared to accept and is measured as aproportion of the standard deviation (accuracy), which is taken as 10%.

s = (1.96 / 0.1)2

s = 384.16

In other words, a minimum of 385 heads of pilgrim-groups need tobe interviewed to meet the criterion. As the daily average number ofpilgrims visiting the shrine is around 50,000, the sample size taken was500 for the current study which constitutes 1% of the daily average.

Since characteristics of pilgrims were not prior known, whichdefies the use of any stratified sampling technique, pilgrims wereselected and interviewed at different times of the day.

1.6.6 DATA ANALYSIS TOOLS

Statistical tools such as percentages, averages, trend values, chi-square test, factor analysis, correlation analysis, multiple regression, andanalysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for analysing primary andsecondary data.

Time series data were used to project future trends of pilgrims’utilisation of TTD services on the basis of the past data, on theassumption that the future is extension of past.

Chi-square test was conducted to study the relationship amongstthe pilgrims’ demographic, economic, travel behaviour characteristicsand their extent of service utilisation.

Factor analysis was conducted to create correlated variablecomposites from the TTD-provided services’ attributes and identify asmaller set of dimensions, or factors that explain most of the variancesbetween the attributes. The derived factor scores were then applied insubsequent correlation and regression analyses.

Multiple regression and correlation were used to study therelationship of the attributes of TTD services with the overallsatisfaction.

Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to identify thedifferences in the overall satisfaction of pilgrims in terms of pilgrims’demographic, economic, and travel behaviour characteristics.

Introduction 25

1.6.7 ORGANISATION OF THE THESIS

The thesis comprises the following seven chapters.

Chapter one explains the importance of evaluation of servicequality, definitions of the concepts of service, quality, and servicequality, reviews existing literature pertaining to measurement of servicequality, and presents the research methodology adopted in the study.

Chapter two enumerates and describes the different servicesprovided by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams to the pilgrims, draws aflow chart showing the route map taken by the pilgrims while availingTTD services, and documents the past trends, enlists the types ofdarshanams, free meals and tonsure services pilgrims availed, andprojects the future trends of pilgrim-users of these services.

Chapter three analyses the demographic, economic and travelbehaviour characteristics of the pilgrims, and studies the relationshipamongst these variables.

Chapter four studies the extent of utilisation of different TTD-provided services by the pilgrims, and the relationship betweenpilgrims’ demographic, economic, and travel behaviour characteristicsand the extent of service utilisation.

Chapter five evaluates the pilgrims’ perceptions about the qualityof TTD services attributes, analyses the waiting time of pilgrims foravailing TTD services, and presents the problems pilgrims faced whileavailing TTD services.

Chapter six tests the hypotheses proposed in the study and presentsinferences drawn therefrom.

Chapter seven is a summary presentation of the findings andconclusions and suggestions of the present research study, its limitations,and sets directions for the future studies in this area of research.

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Introduction 27

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