| Due in part to unfavorable economic and social conditions (Wilkerson, 2003), the travel and tourism industry has been struggling to remain viable. In order to succeed in today's marketplace it is necessary to gain a competitive advantage, which can be achieved through the development of long-term relationships with the most valuable customers (Morgan & Hunt, 1994). This study hypothesized that shared environmental values were a significant precursor of relationship development. Also, the outcomes of relationship development were investigated. Specifically, the role of shared environmental values between a customer and provider in the creation of customer trust (as referenced by credibility and benevolence) and relationship commitment, and the relationships between customer trust and relationship commitment and selected relationship outcomes (i.e., cooperation, word of mouth, future intentions, and resistance to change) were investigated. An understanding of these concepts and how they can assist providers in gaining a more high-end, committed clientele could help them achieve the competitive advantage they desire.; Research indicates that consumers are demanding higher quality products and services from companies that hold higher societal and environmental values. As the travel industry grows, expectations of its performance in society, both socially and environmentally, are enhanced. Travel and tourism providers now face increasing demands from customers to achieve higher levels of social and environmental responsiveness. Tourism providers that share these environmental values with their customers stand to benefit from their beliefs.; To test the study hypotheses, a sample consisting of 1,000 individuals was surveyed. Five-hundred people were chosen from each of two participating outfitters, from a list of two-thousand "most valuable" customers who had purchased a whitewater rafting trip during the 2002 rafting season. The sample was obtained using a purposive sampling procedure. The purposive sample was based on criteria that defined the participants as "most valuable" customers.; Results indicated that shared environmental values, in terms of environmental existence, between customers and providers positively predicted the customers' feelings that the provider was credible. In addition, the two dimensions of trust, credibility and benevolence, were shown to be significant and positive predictors of the customers' commitment to their relationship with the provider. Also, the outcomes of cooperation, word of mouth, future intentions and resistance to change were all significantly and positively predicted by credibility and relationship commitment. Cooperation was also positively and significantly predicted by benevolence.; The findings of this study indicate that one way for providers to build committed relationships with high-end clientele is to target customers who share their values regarding the existence of the natural environment. These shared environmental values between customer and provider led to the enhanced credibility of the provider, which then leads to increased relationship commitment. The development of customer trust and relationship commitment is crucial to relationship marketing and the benefits are widely accepted. Thus, nature-based tourism providers need to find ways to develop their customers' trust in them, and attracting clientele with similar environmental values is one way to make this happen. |
