The evaluation of service quality of travel agencies using AHP and TOPSIS methods: The case of İstanbul province

In today's competitive market, service-oriented businesses such as travel agencies face the necessity of developing management policies and marketing strategies centered on customer expectations and demands in order to sustain their presence and maintain their market share. The definition and measurement of service quality is a complex process due to the inherent characteristics of services, such as intangibility, heterogeneity, and inseparability. One way for travel agencies, which hold a significant share in the tourism sector, to compete in market conditions and provide sustainable services while keeping their costs low is to continuously improve their service quality. To achieve this, they must make accurate decisions by evaluating their service quality. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the service quality of two travel agencies based in Istanbul using the AHP and TOPSIS methods. As a result of the literature review, four main criteria and twelve sub-criteria were identified. First, the importance levels of the criteria were assessed by 13 experts. Secondly, 28 participants who had received services from each of the two agencies at least once rated the agencies based on the determined criteria. Subsequently, the agencies were ranked using the TOPSIS method. Microsoft Excel and Super Decision software were utilized in the analyses.