Using the ratings grid in tourism/event management

Purpose – Ratings grids, emerging from personal construct theory, measure an individual's perception of a situation. This paper and exercises seek to demonstrate how researchers and managers can use the grid to evaluate visitors' perceptions of an attraction or event. Design/methodology/approach – A training exercise explains how to use the ratings grid, a type of repertory grid, to evaluate tourist attractions or special events. A ratings grid example analyzes visitors' impressions of an art festival (n=142). The steps taken for grid development, administration strategy, and analysis are discussed and described. Findings – The results suggest that visitors' impressions of the art festival are consistent with the festival's communication objectives. These findings suggest that the art festival presents itself to visitors accurately. Research limitations/implications – Ratings grids are designed to examine only the elements a researcher selects. Important elements to respondents may be overlooked using this test, and the researcher will not get an accurate measure of respondents' attitudes. Originality/value – The exercise provides guidance to a useful method for measuring visitor perceptions and allows researchers and managers to understand visitor experiences better.