Using value co-creation behavior as a mediator to explore the influence of virtual tourism community characteristics on destination brand equity

This paper investigates the influence of community characteristics (community leaders’ enthusiasm and community members’ offline activities) on destination brand equity (destination brand image and destination brand awareness) by considering value co-creation in virtual tourism communities. By obtaining 344 usable questionnaires, it was possible to perform structural equation modeling to test hypotheses. This study finds that virtual tourism community leaders’ enthusiasm and community members’ offline activities have positive influences on community members’ value co-creation behavior, which consequently impacts destination brand image and destination brand awareness. Furthermore, community members’ value co-creation behavior partially mediates the influence of community leaders’ enthusiasm on destination brand image and destination brand awareness. This study contributes by offering new evidence for destination brand equity antecedents, enriching virtual tourism community literature, and guiding community leaders in fostering positive member behavior, while providing valuable insights for local brand managers and destination management organizations in tourism planning and policy formulation.