Customer-to-customer co-creation practices in tourism: Lessons from Customer-Dominant logic

Rihova, Ivana; Buhalis, Dimitrios; Gouthro, Mary Beth; Moital, Miguel

Abstract

This study aims to explore specific customer-to-customer (C2C) co-creation practices and related value outcomes in tourism. The importance of C2C co-creation is first discussed in the context of the Service-Dominant logic, then a new approach to the study of tourists' social practices and related value-outcomes is proposed, drawing on the recently emerged Customer-Dominant logic in marketing. A pragmatic philosophy is adopted to best address the research questions in a purposively selected sample of five UK-based festivals. Qualitative interview- and observation-based methods are adopted to identify 18 C2C co-creation practices, placing these on a continuum of autotelicinstrumental and private-public practices. Four value-outcome categories are discussed: affective, social, functional and network value. The conclusions highlight the importance of value formed when tourists cocreate with each other in tourism settings and the authors identify specific opportunities for facilitating this process. Possible applications for future research are discussed, highlighting the merits of pragmatism.

Citation

Rihova, I., Buhalis, D., Gouthro, M. B., & Moital, M. (2018). Customer-to-customer co-creation practices in tourism: Lessons from Customer-Dominant logic. Tourism Management, 67, 362-375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.02.010

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 10, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Mar 16, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018-08
• Deposit Date: Feb 23, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 17, 2020
• Journal: Tourism Management
• Print ISSN: 0261-5177
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 67
• Pages: 362-375
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.02.010
• Keywords: Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management; Strategy and Management; Development; Transportation
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1051524
• Contract Date: Feb 23, 2018