Engagement to Echo: How Positive and Negative Dimensions of Customer Engagement Shape Word-of-Mouth in Tourism

Abstract

This study uncovers the essential role of customer involvement in determining customer engagement and its valence, affecting word-of-mouth in the tourism industry. The relationships proposed were based on the study of extant literature, which were tested empirically. An empirical study was conducted using an online and offline survey to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from 921 domestic and foreign tourists who have visited heritage sites in India, which was processed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The study uncovers and validates the existence of the positive and negative valence of all three dimensions of customer engagement: cognitive, affective, and conative. This indicates that more involved customers are expected to be more engaged with the tourism process and are thus more likely to share information about it. This study adds to the literature on the direct impacts of customer involvement on these valence-specific dimensions of customer engagement and how these dimensions positively impact word-of-mouth. This research also provides insights for tourism marketers and destination site managers.