The Hierarchical Formation of Destination Brand Equity With Lifestyle Congruence as A Contingent Factor: A View of Service-Dominant Logic and Social Exchange Theory

Abstract

Drawing upon Service-Dominant Logic and social exchange theory, this study aims to alleviate the conceptual fragmentation of DBE and consolidate its formation pattern by combining resource exchange/integration and social exchange processes to establish a hierarchical model of DBE in which destination awareness links to destination loyalty via destination affective image, quality, and satisfaction, with lifestyle-congruence as a moderator. Consequently, direct, indirect, and moderating effects among DBE's components are proposed. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied to a sample of 680 tourists to test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that the direct, indirect, and moderating effects are all confirmed, thus providing significant theoretical and practical implications for destination marketing.