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Open Access | Accepted manuscript on October 19, 2026

University Students' Behavior towards Service Quality Provided in Water Sports Tourism Sustainable Destinations

Georgios Tsekouropoulos
Abstract

The aim of present study is to investigate the attitudes and behaviors of university students in Northern Greece regarding their vacations in Greece in the summer of 2024. Their vacations concerned water sports tourism summer destination; the product "sun and sea", examining their experiences in Greece, through the evaluation of the quality of services offered by tourist destinations, the Environmental Sustainability of the tourist destination and how these factors influence the future intentions of the respondents for repurchase. The research needs to show the opinions and behaviors of young people in Greece, who during the summer months of 2024, decide to spend their holidays in the country they reside, enjoying the sun and the sea which is a traditional element of Greece as a summer tourist destination. The students evaluate the services provided, along with good environmental practices (independent variables) and whether they intend to revisit (dependent variable) the same tourist destination. The study examined the proposition, that the effect of perceived destination service quality on tourists’ behavioral intentions is enhanced as it is influenced by sustainable tourism. The survey included 679 students from five Universities in Northern Greece. Based on results of a quantitative research with a structural questionnaire; the study found that Accommodation, Local Transport, Cleanliness, Hospitality, Activities, and Destination Affective Image had strong direct effect on tourists Revisit Intentions. It is suggested practical solutions for tourist executives.

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Keywords
tourist destination, sports tourism, Environmental sustainability, service quality, revisit intentions