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h i g h l i g h t sThe values of souvenirs have been insufficiently explored in the tourism literature. This paper explores four values of souvenirs from a sociological perspective. It introduces a new value called spiritual-value. It provides an understanding of the sociological aspects of souvenirs' consumption. a b s t r a c tAlthough souvenirs have received increased research interest in tourism studies, sociological research in this field still remains limited. This exploratory study aspires to overcome past research negligence on the values identified in social theory for commodities, such as Marx's use and exchange values and Baudrillard's sign-value, as well as introducing an additional one, the spiritual-value. By using a sample of twenty respondents in Veria, a small city in Northern Greece, this study attempts to interpret souvenirs as commodities with certain values and to identify the functions that touristsexpect to receive when purchasing them. Despite its limitations, this study provided a theoretical understanding of the sociological aspects of souvenirs' consumption in relation to the four values.

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Purpose Drawing upon Baudrillard’s concept of sign-value, this study aims to investigate consumer behavior and sign perception in visitor attractions. Design/methodology/approach By adopting netnography, 133 customer-to-customer reviews sourced from TripAdvisor were analyzed regarding visitors’ online post-visit impressions. Findings The findings reveal that netnography contributes to a deeper understanding of sign consumption and sign promotion and examines how visitors attribute symbolic meanings to their experience in Titanic Belfast. Practical implications The findings show that the co-creation and reevaluation of the visitor experience through consumers’ online reviews should be taken into account by both managers and marketers. Furthermore, advertising should avoid creating excessive expectations to visitors to decrease the possibility of negative disconfirmation, which can be easily and instantly spread online. Another implication concerns the winning awards of visitor attractions, hotels and restaurants of a destination which may be used as a basis of co-branding marketing campaigns to enhance destination brand image. Social implications This study continues the debate on the commodification of the visitor experience and the commercialization of visitor attractions. Originality/value This paper provides better understanding of sign-value, sign consumption and sign promotion in the visitor attraction sector.