A study on marina customers' perceptions of physical evidence of marinas

Physical evidence, a component of the marketing mix, offers concrete evidence to customers about the services they receive. The variety of services that businesses offer presents a challenge for customers' evaluation before they are experienced due to their concrete features. The physical evidence gives the customer positive or negative clues about the quality of the service. As a result, physical evidence may affect the purchasing preferences of customers. In addition to internal and external data such as the color, design, maintenance, furniture and the condition of the physical environment where a service is provided, the elements such as the clothes, cleaning and the vestment of the operating personnel are considered as the elements of physical evidence. The management of physical evidence provides great benefits such as the differentiation of the services they offer to the enterprises, the development of communication between the operating personnel and the customer, the flow of information and the establishment of the business image. The importance of physical evidence for hotel management was noticed by managers and a lot of research was conducted on this subject. Research was not only carried out in the hotel business, but also in businesses such as restaurants, stores, hospitals, banks, casinos, betting shops, bars, passenger and cargo ships that provide services in different areas. This study was conducted on marina customers' perception of the physical evidence of marinas. The physical elements of the marina were determined as a result of interviews with marina managers at various locations. As physical environment surveys for other services were inadequate and inconsistent in evaluating the marina environment, the marina physical environment questionnaire was developed by evaluating the interview results. The developed questionnaire was applied on the yachtsmen who were found in the marinas in the Aegean and the Marmara Regions and allowed the study. At the end of the research, the variables related to the external, internal and personnel of the marinas were determined and it was also revealed which elements were considered more important by the yachters. In addition, the impact of marina physical evidence on marina loyalty was evaluated in the study with a questionnaire but no significant relationship was found between them. Keywords: Marıtime, Marina Customers', Maritime Tourism.