BUS602: Marketing Management

Samosir is one of the largest lakes in the world, and the largest and most popular in Indonesia. Samosir is located in North Sumatra area which is one of the valuable assets in the State/Local Government and is one of the important tourist destinations after Bali and Lombok, so it is a pride for the region. The establishment of Samosir as one of the tourist destinations is due to the beautiful natural panorama. 

However, Samosir tourism activities are currently not experiencing developments, and with a decrease in the number of visitors, tourism facilities are starting to be neglected. In the Samosir tourism area, there are not only Samosir tourism object but also 4 other tourism objects, namely Batu Gantung, Kera Huta Sibatu Loting Tourism Park, Bangun Dolok and camping ground and also Dolok Simarbalatuk. These objects are in fact if developed properly can provide more value in Parapat tourism area, but the current conditions of these objects are almost unknown to the public. 

To manage the tourism industry properly and professionally, an in-depth study is needed, including tourists as the source of income that must be served well to keep them happy and comfortable so that the residence time within the tours area will be longer. The tourism industry is a type of product which is mostly engaged in the service, for all aspects related to the economic orientation are services. 

The dynamics that occur in the tourism services sector can be seen from the development of various industries such as banking, insurance, telecommunications, and others. Marketing services intended to build expectations of tourists and make a promise to the tourist. 

The company strives to meet the expectations and promises to tourists so that tourists are satisfied. Consumer satisfaction is the level of one's feelings after comparing performance (results) with expectation. Tourists experience various levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction after experiencing each service in accordance with the extent that consumer expectations are met or exceeded. 

This is because satisfaction is the emotional state, the post-purchase reaction of tourists can be anger, dissatisfaction, irritation, neutrality, joy, or pleasure. Tourists who are angry or dissatisfied could cause problems because they can be moved to another company and spread the negative word of mouth. 

Many factors can affect tourist loyalty, including the marketing mix and service quality. It is supported by some research results of Azhar and Jufrizen, and Gultom, Setiawan and Sayuti, Tefera, and Govender stating that the service quality and marketing mix has a positive and significant effect on tourist loyalty. 

This study was made aiming to replicate the study, because of the marketing mix and service quality affects tourist satisfaction and loyalty. So the purpose of this study is divided into six sub-goals: 

f) To Investigate the Mediation Role of Tourist Satisfaction on the Effect of Marketing Mix and Service Quality on Tourist Loyalty.