Beach satisfaction factors in emerging coastal destinations: A case of Ada Region, Ghana

Figure 1:

Figure 1:

Respondents’ Socio-demographic Profile (N=604)

Characteristics	N	Percent
Gender
Male	317	52.4
Female	287	47.6
Age
< 25	170	28.1
25–40	241	39.8
41 and above	193	32.1
Educational level
High school	141	23.2
First degree	293	48.2
Postgraduate	170	28.6
Marital status
Married	216	35.8
Not Married	175	29.1
Ever-married	213	35.1
Nationality
Domestic	315	52.1
International	289	47.9

Tourist Satisfaction Levels With Beach Destination/Attributes

Variables	% of Satisfaction	Mean	Std. D
Amenities & Services
Quality of food services	43.2	3.04	1.02
Hygiene at the beach areas	54.2	2.33	1.01
Accommodation/room	54.1	2.32	1.23
Safety and security at the beaches (including lifeguards)	51.3	2.94	0.91
Day/Night beach entertainment	46.2	3.12	0.96
Availability and quality of facilities for recreation	45.1	3.41	0.21
Quality and quantity of sitting spaces	40.2	3.93	0.82
Availability of expected places of convenience (urinals and toilets)	56.1	2.31	0.98
Availability of enough shaded areas/umbrellas	38.6	3. 82	0.54
Maintenance/cleanliness of beach toilets and urinals	40.4	3.21	0.24
Designs/visual painting done at the beach	53.1	2.81	0.89
Cultural Elements
Availability of local food options at this beach (local drinks, palm wine, sobolo, mixed fruits	60.2	2.10	0.99
Bonfire/bonfire nights with songs	71.1	1.69	1.58
Traditional/local music	65.2	1.62	1.32
Interaction with local people at the beaches	70.1	1.57	1.25
Beach facility local/traditionally inspired	80.2	1.43	1.34
Historical/landmarks at the beach	63.8	1.67	1.41
Cultural/exhibition/Exhibits at the beach	66.4	1.48	1.11
Physical Features
Sand quality and cleanliness	62.2	2.23	1.09
Texture of beach sand	69.1	2.41	1.04
Beach water quality	55.2	3.12	1.12
Ocean breeze	82.1	1.46	1.21
Oceanic waves	81.2	1.48	1.31
Smell at this beach	64.3	2.45	0.92
Landscape	59.1	2.33	0.65
Colour of water	54.2	2.48	0.95
Colour of sand	68.2	2.12	1.02
Breezing palm trees at the beach	67.4	2.34	0.98
Beach view of sunrise or sunset	69.2	2.41	1.03
Intensity of beach waves	71.2	2.13	1.04
Beach Accessibility
Accessibility to beach destinations	44.2	3.12	0.78
Accessibility to facilities (accommodation, bar, washrooms)	39.2	3.21	0.97
Parking facilities at the beaches	33.2	3.53	0.76
Ease in undertaking various activities (hiking, swimming, sunbathing, etc.)	55.2	2.69	1.02
Proximity of accommodation to the beach	42.1	3.42	0.89
Accessibility for people with disabilities	40.1	3.71	0.98
Availability of signages for easy tour of the beach (safety signs)	21.2	4.32	0.67
Access within the beach area	53.2	2.39	0.99
Beach Comfort
Crowd level at this beach	53.2	2.12	0.96
Noise level at this beach	63.1	1.98	1.03
Comfortability of beach facilities (Seats, accommodation, cleanliness of beach, urinals, toilets)	46.3	3.03	0.56
Prices of overall services	54.2	2.42	0.78
Disability friendliness of facilities	62.1	1.97	1.12
Convenience with accessibility within the beach	52.8	2.38	0.92
Beach Recreation
Swimming	44.1	3.12	0.89
Beach Hiking	58.2	2.34	0.92
Beach & water sports (football, volleyball, etc.)	60.2	2.13	1.01
Sunbathing and relaxation	61.1	2.32	0.78
Music and dancing	65.3	1.98	0.98
Beach width and breadth for recreational activities	82.2	1.26	0.92
Picnic activities at the beach	58.1	2.33	0.94
Beach nature trails	49.2	2.88	1.01
Overall Score	57.7	2.45	0.957

Factorial Structure of Tourist Satisfaction With Beach Destinations/Attributes

Latent Factors and Variables	Factor Loading	Variance Explained (%)	Eigenvalue	Cronbach Alpha (Reliability)	Factor Mean
Amenities & Services–Factor 1		14.28	6.242	0.887	3.08
Quality of food services	0.758
Hygiene at the beach areas	0.681
Safety and security at the beaches (including lifeguards)	0.53*
Day/night beach entertainment	0.583
Quality and quantity of sitting spaces	0.631
Availability of expected places of convenience (urinals and toilets)	0.578
Availability of shaded areas/umbrellas	0.523*
/Maintenance/cleanliness of beach toilets and urinals	0.721
Cultural Elements – Factor 2		13.41	4.016	0.926	1.68
Availability of local food options at this beach (local drinks, palm wine, sobolo, mixed fruits	0.891
Bonfire/Bonfire nights with songs	0.782
Traditional/local music	0.812
Interaction with local people at the beaches	0.792
Beach facility local/traditionally inspired	0.872
Physical Features – Factor 3		9.14	3.199	0.865	2.23
Sand quality and cleanliness	0.673
Texture of beach sand	0.652
Beach water quality and clarity	0.581
Ocean breeze	0.821
Oceanic waves	0.843
Smell at this beach	0.624
Landscape	0.823
Colour of water	0.562
Colour of sand	0.689
Beach Accessibility – Factor 4		8.46	2.466	0.733	3.48
Accessibility of facilities (accommodation, bar, washrooms)	0.671
Parking facilities at the beaches	0.510*
Ease in undertaking various activities (hiking, swimming, sunbathing, etc.)	0.671
Proximity of accommodation to the beach	0.523
Accessibility for people with disabilities	0.781
Availability of signages for easy tour of the beach (safety signs)	0.508
Beach Comfort – Factor 5		7.31	1.931	0.796	2.30
Crowd level at this beach	0.781
Noise level at this beach	0.829
Comfortability of beach facilities (Seats, accommodation, cleanliness of beach, urinals, toilets)	0.623
Prices of overall services	0.683
Disability friendliness of facilities	0.783
Beach Recreation – Factor 6		7.21	1.217	0.894	2.38
Swimming	0.781
Hiking and nature walks	0.712
Beach & water sports (football, volleyball, etc.)	0.829
Sunbathing and relaxation	0.62
Music and dancing	0.881
Total Variance Explained		59.81%	(0.850)

Beach Destination Satisfaction Factors by Socio-demographic Characteristics

Socio-demographics	Beach Destination Satisfaction Factors (%)
	N	Amenities & Services	Cultural Elements	Physical Attributes	Beach Accessibility	Beach Comfort	Beach Recreation
Gender
Male	317	2.14	1.26	1.41	2.33	2.12	1.32
Female	287	2.48	1.43	1.50	2.65	2.22	1.42
		t = 2.22,	t = 2.74,	t = 1.81,	t = 2.21,	t = 2.16,	t = 1.26,
		df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,
		p = 0.212	p = 0.004*	p= 0.247	p =0.012*	p = 0.061	p = 0.011*
Nationality
Domestic	315	2.18	1.93	1.45	2.43	2.13	1.56
International	289	2.15	1.35	1.43	2.62	1.48	1.43
		t = 2.73,	t = 1.79,	t = 1.33,	t = 2.14,	t = 2.98,	t = 2.73,
		df 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,	df = 2,
		p = 0.465	p = 0.021*	p = 0.123	p= 0.013*	p= 0.002*	p = 0.058
Education
High school	141	2.21	1.46	2.22	2.31	2.43	1.94
First degree	293	2.12	1.49	2.31	2.45	2.32	1.67
Postgraduate	170	2.33	1.98	2.18	2.48	2.12	1.44
		F = 2.41,	F = 2.54,	F = 2.96,	F = 141,	F = 2.12,	F = 2.96,
		df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,
		p = 0.222	p = 0.062	p = 0.321	p = 0.054	p = 0.211	p = 0.244
Marital status
Married	216	2.22	2.41	1.43	2.40	2.36	1.96
Not married	175	1.71	2.53	1.27	2.12	2.14	2.12
Ever-married	212	2.52	2.52	1.52	2.18	2.12	1.32
		F = 1.02,	F = 0.60,	F = 2.96,	F = 1.96,	F = 2.14,	F = 1.98,
		df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,
		p = 0.321	p = 0. 548	p = 0. 0.054	p = 0.321	p = 0.231	p = 0.312
Age
< 25	170	2.13	2.34	1.52	1.49	2.43	1.43
25–40	241	2.20	1.98	1.46	2.23	2.13	1.46
41 ≥	193	2.05	1.46	1.42	2.63	1.47	1.48
		F = 2.41,	F = 4.44,	F = 1.88,	F = 1.68,	F = 2.98,	F = 2.87,
		df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,	df = 3,
		p = 0.212	p = 0.015*	p = 0.054	p = 0.049*	p = 0.242	p = 0.002*