Understanding tourist citizenship behavior at the destination level

Abstract

Tourist citizenship behavior (TCB) is crucial for tourist destination management because of the benefits it provides to destinations. Despite the importance of this discretionary and altruistic behavior, however, scant research has analyzed TCB at the destination level. The present study addresses this gap. It examines the relationships between destination identification, perceived value, and TCB. It also explores the relationship between TCB and willingness to sacrifice to visit a destination. Data on a sample of 629 tourists (aged 18 years or older) were collected to test the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling. TCB is a reflective second-order construct (dimensions: recommendation, helping, and feedback). The results show that both destination identification and perceived value are positively related to TCB, which positively affects willingness to sacrifice. Thus, the findings provide evidence that both destination identification and perceived value are important factors in understanding tourists’ citizenship behavior in destinations. Furthermore, the study shows that tourists who are willing to help others by giving feedback and recommending a certain destination (i.e., performing TCB) are also willing to make additional sacrifices to travel to that destination. The theoretical and practical implications for researchers and tourism managers at the destination level are discussed.