Drawing on social exchange theory and the service-dominant logic framework this paper explores the association between value co-creation and the willingness to engage in customer citizenship behavior in the hospitality and tourism context. Tourism and hospitality firms are increasingly offering opportunities for co-production and value-in-use not only to increase revisit and repurchase intentions but also to benefit from manifestations of customer citizenship behavior such as customer feedback, advocacy, customer-to-customer assistance and tolerance in less satisfactory future services. The paper offers a building block for future work to investigate the causal relationship between the dimensions of value co-creation (co-production and value-in-use) and customer citizenship behavior.

Purpose Drawing on the service-dominant logic and the institutional theory, this paper aims to explore the value-creating mechanisms of branding in the destination context and the brand co-creation process at and between different levels of a service ecosystem. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory research design was used to generate qualitative data from 18 in-depth interviews with important stakeholders and investigate how and why brand co-creation is fostered in the service ecosystem. Findings The study proposes a stepwise process of strategic imperatives for brand co-creation in the destination context. It presents the multi-directional flows of the brand meaning across levels of the tourism ecosystem and thereby interprets stakeholders’ efforts to co-create sustainable brands that gain prominence in the global tourism arena. Research limitations/implications Future research might validate the framework in a quantitative research setting. The extended analysis of the value-creating ecosystem could investigate the role of institutions and brand value propositions across levels. Practical implications Acknowledging their limited control over the brand co-creation process, tourism practitioners are offered step-by-step guidance to help shape a destination brand that may retain relevance in the tourists’ minds. Critical insights are provided into resource sharing between actors and subsequent responsibilities for a sustainable destination branding strategy. Originality/value The paper considers the significance of the various levels in the ecosystem and the underlying mechanisms of brand co-creation in a somewhat neglected branding domain.

The present study delves into a review of the destination brand equity literature published since 2001, aiming to offer tourism researchers a reference guide to the general context, corresponding methods, and focus of previous works. A multisource search resulted in the identification of 64 relevant papers. Content analysis using multiple classifier variables provides further insights into specific geographical, conceptual, and methodological aspects. Conclusions pertain to the multidimensional character of the construct, the methodology, and context in which destination brand performance has been developed. Destination brand equity appears as a rapidly conceived concept, borrowed from traditional (corporate/product) branding theory, while discussion on its definition and operationalization is still in progress and has yet to mature in a multidisciplinary context. As the first attempt to review destination brand equity within the top tourism and marketing journals and relevant search engines, the study may contribute to a comprehensive overview of the field. The outcomes offer marketing scholars an in-depth view of the concept, providing an overall insight on the various ways destination brands might be evaluated.

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