Examining tourist citizenship behaviors through affective, cognitive, behavioral engagement and reputation: Symmetrical and asymmetrical approaches

Abstract

Although various studies have addressed customer citizenship behaviors and customer brand engagement, the effect of tourists' pandemic-related destination brand reputation (DBR) on destination-brand-engagement (DBE) and tourist citizenship behaviors (TCB) remains nebulous. Based on signaling theory, social exchange theory, and complexity theory, we develop and test a theoretical model that explores the effect of tourist-perceived DBR on their affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. To explore these issues, this article adopts a mixed-method research approach, including symmetrical-based structural equation modeling (SEM) followed by asymmetrical-based fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). First, the SEM findings reveal the positive effect of DBR on affective, cognitive, and behavioral brand engagement. Second, the SEM findings uncover the affective, cognitive, and behavioral brand engagement's positive impact on TCB. Third, the fsQCA findings identify three heterogeneous variable combinations/configurations that facilitate TCB. This study offers important theoretical and practical implications for destination marketers in pandemic times.