Is the dream over? A study of the theory of customer delight in complaints against travel agencies

Abstract Based on theory of customer delight, the article examines the effect of problem-solving and interpersonal interactions on the tourist’s pleasure in complaints. A mixed method is used in this study. First, content analysis is applied to transform the content of messages in quantifiable and pre-established categories in the literature. These data serve as input for the subsequent step, in which structural equations based on partial least squares (PLS) are used, taking two different groups. A group is formed by complaints that occurred before COVID-19, and the other is made up of complaints published during the pandemic. It is evaluated whether the factorial configuration and the structural coefficients remain unchanged from one group to another. 502 complaints against travel agencies are examined. Among the results, one of them stands out. The human element is a key factor in the formation of pleasurable experiences during the pandemic. Travel agencies need to train their employees to respond appropriately to the demands of that period. In times of contingencies, the tourist seeks more than the real solution of the case and expects to be well attended by frontline employees. Future tourist behaviors may depend on this performance.