Transforming destination-based customer engagement to revisit intention through co-creation: findings from SEM and fsQCA

Purpose: The business ambiguity because of COVID-19 has brought the tourism industry under stress. Using the service-dominant-logic and elaboration-likelihood-model, this study tested the effects of destination-based cognitive, affective and behavioral customer brand engagement (CBE) on customer brand co-creation (CBC). This research also examined the effects of involvement and CBC on customer revisit intention (CRI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also tested the moderating role of customers’ age among the modeled relationships. Design/methodology/approach: Investigating these matters, a sample of 315 tourists was recruited and adopted a mixed-method approach, including structural equation modeling (SEM) as well as fuzzy set qualitative-comparative analysis (fsQCA). Findings: SEM results render that CBE’s dimensions exercise different impacts on CBC, which affect revisit-intention. Results ascertain customer involvement’s direct effects on CBC and revisit intention. Multi-group analysis uncovers that consumer age significantly moderates the CBC and CRI relationship, and their effect increases as consumers get older. The fsQCA results revealed more heterogenous combinations to predict CBC and revisit intention. Research limitations/implications: This study focuses on CBE, CBC and involvement, and contributes unique insight to tourism marketing research; thus, it identifies plentiful opportunities for further research, as summarized. Practical implications: This study offers key implications for destinations to build tourism/marketing strategies to strengthen the CBE/CBC or tourist/destination–brand relationship. Originality/value: Though CBE/CBC and involvement are identified as important research priorities, empirically derived insights among these and related factors remain limited in the course of the COVID-19 crisis.