How online reviews of sports tourism affect tourists’ value co-creation behavior: Findings from PLS-SEM, NCA, and fsQCA

Online reviews generated by digital technology play a significant role in promoting value co-creation among sports tourists. However, the existing literature on this relationship needs further research on the underlying influence processes. Based on the C-A-C framework, this study found that the characteristics of online reviews and reviewers significantly affect sports tourists' perceived value, shaping their destination identity and flow experience, thereby fostering value co-creation behavior. Sports tourists should not be completely unsatisfied with the perceived objectivity of online reviews. Instead, combining various antecedents is necessary for high levels of tourists' value co-creation behavior. Perceived aesthetics and professionalism were critical predictors across most configurations, with perceived value being a core condition. We identified five different configurations and further categorized them into three types, revealing the complex relationship between online reviews and sports tourists’ value co-creation behavior. The results provide valuable practical and theoretical insights for stakeholders in the sports tourism industry and highlight the pivotal role that online reviews play in enriching the value co-creation of sports tourism.