Can co-creating a “slow destination” image boost sustainability?

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine whether a “slow tourism” image, coupled with value co-creation, can help develop sustainable tourist destinations. The study adapts a “slow destination image” scale and proposes that online value co-creation can be a valid strategy in the quest to encourage pro-environmental behaviors among visitors. A quantitative empirical study is conducted on a sample of Spanish domestic tourists (n = 681) and a covariance-based structural equation modeling analysis is performed. The findings of the study add value to the literature, providing empirical evidence that a “slow destination” image has a positive effect on tourist pro-environmental behavior and that online value co-creation has a positive and significant effect on “slow destination” image and tourist pro-environmental behavior. The study will also be of practical use to destination/tourism agents, both public and private, by indicating how to develop a type of tourism—slow tourism—and a marketing strategy—online value co-creation—that are useful for building sustainability and applicable to any tourist destination.