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@article{193391,
        author = {Mrs. A. MEHARAJ and Dr. SUNDAR. R},
        title = {SERVICE QUALITY DIMENSIONS AND PILGRIM SATISFACTION TOWARDS HAJJ AND UMRAH TOUR OPERATORS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {253-263},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=193391},
        abstract = {Pilgrimage is a journey to a scared place for religious devotion, spiritual fulfilment, or to perform prescribed rituals by individuals or groups to a sacred or holy place, motivated primarily by religious, spiritual, or faith-based beliefs. Such journeys are often performed as an act of devotion, penance, thanksgiving, or spiritual fulfilment. Pilgrimage involves visiting places of religious significance, such as temples, churches, mosques, shrines, or other holy sites, and is considered an important religious practice in many cultures and faiths across the world.  Pilgrimage has long been an integral aspect of religious and spiritual life, involving large-scale movement of devotees to sacred destinations for the fulfilment of faith, rituals, and spiritual aspirations. In recent years, pilgrimage travel has expanded significantly due to improved transportation, organized tour services, technological support, and increasing disposable income among devotees. Despite this growth, pilgrims often face challenges related to service quality, safety, affordability, information accessibility, accommodation, transportation, and overall travel management.   The paired t-test analysis confirmed the presence of expectation–perception gaps across assurance, reliability, responsiveness, tangibility, and empathy dimensions. Among these, reliability and responsiveness exhibited the most prominent service deficiencies, indicating shortcomings in promptness, consistency, and operational efficiency. Tangibility and empathy showed comparatively better performance, though improvement is still required.  The overall satisfaction analysis indicates a moderate level of pilgrim satisfaction, with mean values close to the average scale level.},
        keywords = {Pilgrimage, tour operators, Service Quality, Hajj, Umrah, Satisfaction.},
        month = {March},
        }