How other customers influence customer citizenship behavior in theme parks: The role of customer-customer rapport

Abstract

This study underlines customers' value to contemporary theme parks in terms of customer citizenship behavior (CCB). Considering the frequency of customer-to-customer interaction and its impacts on tourist experience, this study aims to explore how other customers influence CCB in theme parks. Based on the cognition-affect-behavior model and the affect theory of social exchange, a model is constructed and tested with covariance-based structural equation modeling using survey data from 409 theme park visitors in China. The results show that the focal customers' perceptions of others (i.e. similarity and suitable behavior) can elicit customer-customer rapport (i.e. enjoyable interaction and personal connection), which in turn promotes target-based CCB (i.e. towards organizations, employees, and other customers) via affective commitment. This study extends the current theoretical knowledge on customer-customer rapport and CCB, and provides practical guidelines for theme park managers.