The role of social media marketing and social support in developing value co-creation intentions: a Couchsurfing community perspective

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate the pathway to value co-creation intentions through social media marketing, social support and COVID-19 perception in the tourism context with a specific focus on Couchsurfing community.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted from foreign and domestic travellers who used Couchsurfing platform for their recent travel, and were approached using an online survey (n = 229) and structural equation modelling used for hypothesis testing.

Findings

The findings indicate that value co-creation intentions follow a pathway through social media marketing and social support. Moreover, Couchsurfing community social support mechanisms play a crucial role in value co-creation intentions.

Originality/value

This study significantly contributes by taking Couchsurfing as a social networking application that provides both informational and functional support to the hardcore and active tourism and hospitality community.

Citation

Rafi, A., Rehman, M.A., Sharif, S. and Lodhi, R.N. (2023), "The role of social media marketing and social support in developing value co-creation intentions: a Couchsurfing community perspective", Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-02-2023-0059