How do ecotourists co-create value on digital platforms? The moderating role of ecotourist typology

How do ecotourists co-create value on digital platforms? The moderating role of ecotourist typology Laura Hern andez-L opez,Salvador Del Barrio-García and Maria Belen Prados-Peña University of Granada, Granada, Spain Abstract Purpose –This study aims to examine the process of value co-creation (VCC) on digital ecotourism platforms and the role of perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior in that process. The study also seeks to determine the extent to which the typology of the ecotourist moderates VCC. Design/methodology/approach –A total of 420 users of a digital ecotourism platform participated in a study analyzing the factors that influence VCC. A mediation, moderation and conditional process analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses. A K-means cluster analysis was also used to classify the ecotourists into four groups. Findings –The results show that perceived platform usefulness has a strong influence on the generation of VCC and also on user participation behavior. In turn, user participation behavior is an important driver of VCC. This study also highlights the moderating role of the ecotourist typology in the formation of VCC on these digital platforms. Practical implications –This study offers managers of digital ecotourism platforms a means to identify and motivate those ecotourists with the necessary skills and characteristics to become true co-creators of value. Originality/value –This study contributes to the existing knowledge on how value is co-created on digital ecotourism platforms, confirming the important antecedent role of perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior, as well as the moderating role of ecotourist typology. Keywords Value co-creation, Ecotourism, Digital platforms, Participation, Perceived usefulness, Ecotourist typology Paper type Research paper C omo co-crean valor los ecoturistas en las plataformas digitales? El papel moderador del tipo de ecoturista Resumen Prop osito –El prop osito de este estudio es examinar el proceso de co-creaci on de valor (VCC) en las plataformas digitales de ecoturismo y el papel de la utilidad percibida de la plataforma y el comportamiento © Laura Hern andez-L opez, Salvador Del Barrio-García and Maria Belen Prados-Peña. Published in Spanish Journal of Marketing –ESIC. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and noncommercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode This work was supported by the Andalusian Program for R&D (grant number P20-01021). SJME 27,3 324 Received 15 February 2022 Accepted 15 April 2023 Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC Vol. 27 No. 3, 2023 pp. 324-347 Emerald Publishing Limited e-ISSN: 2444-9709 p-ISSN: 2444-9709 DOI 10.1108/SJME-02-2022-0018 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/2444-9709.htm de participaci on de los usuarios. El estudio tambi en pretende determinar en qu e medida la tipología del ecoturista modera la VCC. Metodología –420 usuarios de una plataforma digital de ecoturismo participaron en un estudio que analizaba los factores que influyen en la co-creaci on de valor. Se utiliz ounan  alisis de mediaci on, moderaci on y proceso condicional para probar las hip otesis propuestas. Tambi en se utiliz ounan  alisis de conglomerados K-means para clasificar a los ecoturistas en 4 grupos. Conclusiones –Los resultados muestran que la utilidad percibida de la plataforma tiene una fuerte influencia en la generaci on de VCC y tambi en en el comportamiento de participaci on del usuario. A su vez, el comportamiento de participaci on del usuario es un importante impulsor de la VCC. El estudio tambi en destaca el papel moderador de la tipología ecoturística en la formaci on de VCC en estas plataformas digitales. Implicaciones pr acticas –El estudio ofrece a los gestores de plataformas digitales de ecoturismo un medio para identificar y motivar a aquellos ecoturistas con las habilidades y características necesarias para convertirse en verdaderos co-creadores de valor. Originalidad –Este estudio contribuye al conocimiento existente sobre c omo se co-crea valor en las plataformas digitales de ecoturismo, confirmando el importante papel antecedente de la utilidad percibida de la plataforma y el comportamiento de participaci on de los usuarios, así como el papel moderador de la tipología del ecoturista. Palabras clave Co-creaci on de valor, Ecoturismo, Plataformas digitales, Participaci on, Utilidad percibida, Tipología ecoturística Tipo de artículo Trabajo de investigaci on 生态旅游者如何在数字平台上共同创造价值？生态旅游者类型的调节作用> 摘要 目的 –本研究的主要目的是考察数字生态旅游平台上的价值共同创造（VCC）过程,以及感知平台有 用性和用户参与行为在该过程中的作用。该研究还试图确定生态旅游者的类型在多大程度上调节了 VCC。 方法–一个数字生态旅游平台的420名用户参与了一项研究,分析影响价值共同创造的因素。使用调 解、调节和条件过程分析来检验所提出的假设。还使用了K-均值聚类分析,将生态旅游者分为4组。 研究结果–结果显示,感知的平台有用性对VCC的产生有很大影响,也对用户的参与行为有很大影 响。反过来,用户参与行为也是VCC的一个重要驱动因素。该研究还强调了生态旅游者类型学在这些 数字平台上形成VCC的调节作用。 实践意义–该研究为数字生态旅游平台的管理者提供了一种识别和激励那些具有必要技能和特征的 生态旅游者成为真正的价值共同创造者的手段。 原创性–本研究对数字生态旅游平台上如何共同创造价值的现有知识做出了贡献,证实了感知平台 有用性和用户参与行为的重要前因作用,以及生态旅游者类型学的调节作用。 关键词价值共创,、生态旅游,、数字平台,、参与,、感知有用性,、生态旅游者类型学 文章类型研究型论文 1. Introduction The tourism sector has become increasingly competitive and complex as a result of the increased use of technology and the fact that tourists are better informed and have access to the global market (Cimbaljevi cet al.,2019). The competitiveness of tourism businesses and destinations is influenced by the quality of the tourism experience, especially when there are opportunities for consumers to participate, alongside destinations, in the experience of cocreating tourism (Sugathan and Ranjan, 2019). Tourists are also showing greater awareness of, and responsibility for, sustainable development and care for the environment (UNWTO, 2017). According to Allied Market Research (2021), the ecotourism market was valued at $181.1bn in 2019 and is expected to reach $333.8bn by 2027 and register a compound annual growth rate of 14.3% in the period 2021–2027. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2018) contends that Moderating role of ecotourist typology 325 ecotourism has become a fundamental mode of tourism vis- a-vis the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of its 2030 Agenda. In parallel with these ecotourism trends, digital platforms such as Airbnb or Couchsurfing are playing a fundamental role in empowering tourists and involving them directly in the design of the tourist offer, as active protagonists in the shift toward a more sustainable tourism model (Yoo et al.,2016). For example, Couchsurfing has a global traveler community of over 14 million people (Couchsurfing, 2023), while, as of 2022, Airbnb had 2.9 million hosts worldwide, with 14,000 new hosts joining the platform each month (Statistica, 2022). All of these data point to the current and potential future importance of ecotourism and digital platforms for both the development of the tourism industry and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, as they empower tourists to create and share their own content. For this reason, it is worth asking whether such platforms can facilitate value co-creation (VCC) to improve environmental sustainability and contribute to the protection of biodiversity. The present study focuses on digital ecotourism platforms, which have scarcely been analyzed in the scientific literature, to date, despite the growing interest in sustainable tourism and the use of this type of platform. In the ecotourism literature, some studies have examined VCC in the context of ecotourism experiences (Revilla Hern andez et al., 2016), the content generated on TripAdvisor about stays in eco-lodges (Lu and Stepchenkova, 2012) and the factors and behaviors that lead to socialization and knowledge exchange among ecotourists via social networks (Chuang et al.,2013;Sarkar et al.,2014). However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the VCC process on digital platforms relating to the ecotourism sector. This provides an opportunity to investigate in greater depth how the VCC process is developed on digital platforms devoted to ecotourism and to observe how users interact, engage in dialogue and exchange resources. In the few studies that have addressed such topics (in the tourism field, in general), some antecedents of VCC have been analyzed, such as user participation in platforms (Sigala, 2015b), motivation (Jiang et al.,2021), perceived platform usefulness (Lam et al.,2020; Cheung and To, 2016) and user involvement (McCartney and Chen, 2020). In the present study, we focus on the importance of two factors in particular: perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior. The academic literature on VCC has highlighted the need to consider certain traits of users when analyzing their motivation to co-create (Constantinides et al., 2015). More specifically in the context of tourist destinations, it has been found that certain personality traits exert a moderating effect on user-generated content (Gonz alez-Rodríguez et al.,2021) and on the VCC process in online tourism (Sigala, 2015b). Related to these traits, ecotourist typology may be a determining factor in the way in which ecotourists approach VCC on these platforms, but no previous studies have analyzed this potential moderating effect. Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to analyze the process by which VCC is formed on digital ecotourism platforms, in light of the antecedent role of perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior, and to determine the extent to which ecotourist typology moderates that process. 2. Literature review 2.1 Value co-creation and its dimensionality The concept of VCC refers to how actors behave, interpret, experience, use and evaluate propositions based on the generation of value (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004b). As such, it can be framed within service-dominant logic (SDL) (Vargo and Lusch, 2004). The SDL SJME 27,3 326 literature is concerned with the interaction between actors that involves resource integration – such as the social and economic processes of VCC (Lusch and Vargo, 2006), in which the customer is an operant resource that contributes different skills and knowledge. One of the main characteristics of VCC is that it enables personalized experiences to be offered that are tailored to the context and are a source of unique value (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a). Agrawal and Rahman (2017, p. 3) state that “value co-creation essentially involves the participation of actors, resource integration and interaction.”Cocreation is a multi-actor process supported by a shared commitment that contributes to innovation and enables new experiences (Tregua et al.,2020). Many researchers have sought to determine the dimensionality of the VCC construct (Guan et al.,2020;Randall et al.,2011). It has been examined by some authors from a onedimensional perspective (Gebauer et al.,2013;Grissemann and Stokburger-Sauer, 2012; Prebensen et al., 2013), while others consider it to be multidimensional (Agrawal and Rahman, 2017;Busser and Shulga, 2018;Yi and Gong, 2013). These latter studies argue that VCC cannot be understood through a single dimension, due to its multiple characteristics, including: its collaborative aspect (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004b;Lusch and Vargo, 2006); personalized experiences (Payne et al., 2008); interaction between multiple authors (Grönroos, 2008); and resource integration (McColl-Kennedy et al., 2012). Table 1 lists some of the most relevant works from the literature and the dimensions of VCC that have been identified to date. As can be observed, some scales focus on the relational aspect of VCC and the interaction between consumers and the firm (Agrawal and Rahman, 2017;Ranjan and Read, 2016;Yi and Gong, 2013), while others focus more on the experiential aspect (Agrawal and Rahman, 2017;Ranjan and Read, 2016). However, few scales offer a perspective on personal value – that is, on the personal facets of co-created value, such as the sense of achievement derived from completing a given task (Agrawal and Rahman, 2017;Busser and Shulga, 2018). Busser and Shulga (2018) contend that the more the individual contributes to the process, the more they will value the result of that process. This scale provides a special understanding of the consumer perspective –specifically, in the tourism sector –on serviceprovider co-creation initiatives (Busser and Shulga, 2018). 2.2 Value co-creation on digital platforms The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and online resources such as Big Data, mobile internet and digital platforms has changed the process by which users co-create value. Digital platforms, in particular, play an important role in empowering consumers (Füller et al.,2009). These developments have given rise to research on how platforms are shaping tourist behavior and how new relationships between key actors are affecting co-creation in the tourism industry (Tregua et al.,2020). One of the most widely studied digital platforms in the literature, to date, is TripAdvisor. Some authors, such as Yoo et al. (2016), note that the success of this platform is based on continually adding value to its services by expanding its co-creation ecosystem, where users can connect with each other and “play”on the platform to exchange resources. In the context of ecotourism, Sarkar et al. (2014) observed that socialization on digital platforms, such as Facebook and TripAdvisor, enables ecotourists to exchange collective knowledge with each other and thereby derive significant satisfaction from this social aspect. Hence, VCC on digital ecotourism platforms facilitates interpersonal relationships and creates greater opportunities for human interaction, thereby empowering users to put Moderating role of ecotourist typology 327 Table 1. Dimensionality of value co-creation Author Findings Dimensions Ng et al. (2010) The VCC is a multi-attribute construct with seven dimensions. This scale can help generate internal changes within the organization in terms of roles, governance and responsibilities to ensure more effective interfaces with the customer Behavioral alignment Process alignment Congruence of expectations Empowerment Perceived control Behavioral transformation Complementary competencies Randall et al. (2011) These authors demonstrate that connection (which measures the degree of relational connection such as the emotional bond that is formed) is part of the multidimensional construct of VCC. They also highlight that VCC is a higher-order construct and comprises trust, commitment and connection Trust Commitment Connection Yi and Gong (2013) The VCC is a multidimensional third-order concept consisting of two higher-order factors, each one composed of multiple dimensions Customer participation behavior: Information-seeking Information-sharing Responsible behavior Personal interaction Customer citizenship behavior: Feedback Advocacy Helping Tolerance Ranjan and Read (2016) The VCC is a third-order construct with two dimensions, each with three underlying elements. VCC is a formative construct. This scale is valid for studying VCC in the consumer–business relationship Co-production Knowledge Equity Interaction Value-in-use Experience Personalization Relationship Agrawal and Rahman (2017) The VCC is a reflective construct. The scale measures the value cocreated by the consumer in different online contexts. Of the five dimensions, the interactional and experiential dimensions are shown to be the most important for any VCC process Relational value Personal value Economic value Interactional value Experiential value Busser and Shulga (2018) The VCC construct is multidimensional, with 5 dimensions and 25 items. VCC can be used as a reflective second-order construct as part of consumer value systems Meaningfulness Collaboration Contribution Recognition Affective response SJME 27,3 328 together their own trips to meet their social, leisure and entertainment needs (Chuang et al., 2013). 2.3 Antecedents of value co-creation in digital ecotourism settings Consumer VCC in the tourism context is particularly important, due to the experiential and hedonic nature of tourism products (Prebensen et al.,2013). Research has previously been conducted on VCC in the tourism context, such as the co-creation of tourist experiences (Sfandla and Björk, 2013), the content generated by users on platforms such as TripAdvisor (Sigala, 2015a) and even the co-destruction of value in ICT-enhanced tourism experiences (Guan et al.,2020). However, few studies have focused on behaviors relating to VCC among ecotourists in virtual communities and digital platforms (Chuang et al., 2013). Certain factors have been found to affect the VCC construct, such as perceived usefulness (Cheung and To, 2016), ease of use (Lam et al., 2020), interaction (Sfandla and Björk, 2013), user participation (Prebensen et al.,2014) and user motivation (Constantinides et al.,2015). Yet, despite this extensive literature, there remain many questions about other antecedents that may affect VCC, especially in the context of ecotourism and, more specifically, ecotourism platforms. In the present study, we seek to examine in greater depth two aspects that are widely used in ecotourism platforms: perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior. 2.3.1 Perceived platform usefulness as a motivational antecedent factor of value cocreation. Among the most well-known definitions of perceived usefulness is that of Davis (1989, p. 320), expressed as “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance.”More specifically, Wang et al. (2012, p. 783) defined perceived digital platform usefulness as “the degree to which a user perceives that the use of a technological platform helps accomplish his/her personal objectives.” Therefore, users expect to obtain benefits or results from the use of these systems or platforms. Several studies have dealt with (and provided support for) the importance of perceived usefulness in influencing new-technology acceptance (Koh et al., 2007;Chung et al.,2010; Cheung and To, 2016). Perceived usefulness has been found to be one of the main predictors of attitudes and behaviors among members of virtual communities (Chuang et al.,2013). Cheung and To (2016) examined the factors that prompt consumers to co-create on social media and concluded that perceived platform usefulness was an important antecedent among users. More recently, Lam et al. (2020) demonstrated that perceived platform usefulness is a positive and significant predictor of the VCC experience on platforms such as TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Agoda or Expedia. In light of the foregoing theoretical propositions, the following hypothesis is proposed: H1 . Perceived platform usefulness positively influences value co-creation among users of digital ecotourism platforms. Perceived usefulness is also an extrinsic motivator linked to the different needs and interests of consumers (Füller, 2010). Evidence has been found to support the idea that a system’s perceived usefulness positively influences the desire to participate in it (Koh et al., 2007;Chung et al., 2010; Wang et al., 2012). For example, Igbaria et al. (1995) analyzed individuals’reasons for using computer technology and found that perceived usefulness correlated positively with all dimensions of system use, frequency of use, duration of use and number of tasks. Along similar lines, Teo et al. (1999) found that internet users chose to participate in a greater variety of tasks online if they perceived those tasks to be useful. Koh et al. (2007) Moderating role of ecotourist typology 329 concluded that the perceived usefulness of a virtual community is strongly linked to viewing activity and that, therefore, perceived platform usefulness is a central construct for examining the decision to participate in such communities. Elsewhere, Chung et al. (2010) showed that perceived usefulness is positively associated with user participation behavior in online communities. Wang et al. (2012) also found a positive relationship between the perceived platform usefulness of an online community and the degree of active participation among users of that community. In line with these findings, the following hypothesis is proposed: H2 . Perceived platform usefulness positively influences user participation behavior on digital ecotourism platforms. 2.3.2 User participation behavior among ecotourists as an antecedent of value co-creation. VCC relies on a high level of participation on the part of the user to customize the product or service (Tussyadiah and Zach, 2013). While Yi and Gong (2013) propose that participation behavior is a component dimension of co-creation (Table 1), considering participation to be the behavior that is necessary to successfully complete an action (Yi and Gong, 2013), most research in this area considers it a key antecedent of the VCC process (Tussyadiah and Zach, 2013;Prebensen et al.,2013). This is because participation is a widely used concept in consumer behavior, thanks to its potential effects on people’s attitudes toward an activity, their behavior in relation to that activity and their decision-making (Prebensen et al., 2013). Therefore, active user participation has been identified as a necessary component for any digital platform to be successful. In their analysis of online communities, Chung et al. (2010) emphasized that participation can consist of two different types of behavior: active (when users post content) or passive (when users merely observe). User participation was defined by Kappelman and McLean (1992,p.1)as“the observable behavior of information system users in the information system development process.”Barki and Hartwick (1994) proposed that participation can be approached from the perspective of frequency (how often one performs a certain activity), effort (the time or energy invested in that activity) or influence (the effect of the activity). According to these authors, any one of these perspectives can provide a valid basis for evaluating user participation (ibid.). More recently, Sigala (2015b) framed user contribution or participation as behavioral outcomes. On the basis of the above findings, taken as a whole, the following hypothesis is proposed: H3 . User participation behavior positively influences value co-creation on digital ecotourism platforms. 2.4 Moderating role of ecotourist typology The academic literature has identified various factors that can moderate the VCC process, such as the characteristics of “lead-users”(Füller et al., 2009), the source of e-WOM messages (See-To and Ho, 2014) or consumer involvement (Cheung and To, 2016). Omar et al. (2018) analyzed the moderating role of the customer’s personality in joint value-creation behaviors and the quality of their relationship with other customers. In the context of VCC in tourism destinations, it has been found that personality type moderates the relationship between motivation and participation in user-generated content (Gonz alez-Rodríguez et al.,2021). Sigala (2015b) also found personality type to exert moderating effects on the VCC process in online tourism. In short, these studies show that the personality traits of individuals seem to be an important moderator of the VCC process. Hence, it is of interest to better understand SJME 27,3 330 how differences between ecotourists may moderate the VCC process on digital platforms. To the best of our knowledge, no study to date has addressed this challenge. Ecotourists are broadly defined by their interest in nature-based activities. Dolnicar et al. (2008) describe ecotourists as a subgroup of tourists who are particularly respectful of the environment and leave a minimal environmental footprint on the ecotourism destination. Acott et al. (1998) suggest that ecotourist roles vary along a continuum from ecocentrism to anthropocentrism. Their premise is that an individual can be an ecotourist ideologically, regardless of whether he or she has actually visited an ecotourism destination. That is, ecotourists can be identified regardless of the places they have visited because the concept of ecotourism is not only descriptive (i.e. nature-based) but also, and more importantly, valuedriven, based on their pro-environmental attitudes and support for conservation, sustainability, environmental responsibility and so on (Weaver and Lawton, 2002). To more fully understand the ecotourism market, however, it is necessary to segment it (Palacio and McCool, 1997;Weaver and Lawton, 2002). Palacio and McCool (1997) identify four ecotourist typologies: nature escapists,ecotourists,comfortable naturalists and passive players. These authors were pioneering in their development of an ecotourist typology scale based on a behavioral perspective. Weaver and Lawton (2007) also used the scale developed by Palacio and McCool (1997) in their own “hard/soft”behavioral model to obtain results on the motivations and activities of ecotourists, noting that these do not constitute a homogeneous market. That work is therefore of particular relevance to the present study as the authors propose a scale for ecotourist-type not according to tourists’participation in certain activities but according to the benefits they expect to receive by visiting natural locations. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous studies that examine the extent to which ecotourist typology affects the VCC process. Here, then, we pose three research questions (RQs) to propose the possible moderating role of ecotourist typology in the VCC process. This approach –examining the possible moderating effect of a variable when there is insufficient theoretical evidence to support the direction of the hypothesis –is advocated in recent works and has previously been used by other authors in the tourism context (Molinillo et al., 2018). Therefore, in light of the above findings, the following RQs are posed: RQ1. Does ecotourist typology moderate the relationship between perceived platform usefulness and value co-creation? RQ2. Does ecotourist typology moderate the relationship between perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior? RQ3. Does ecotourist typology moderate the relationship between user participation behavior and VCC? Figure 1 shows the proposed theoretical model of VCC on digital ecotourism platforms. 3. Methodology 3.1 Data collection To test the proposed hypotheses and estimate the theoretical model, a quantitative study was conducted, based on a structured questionnaire distributed among ecotourists belonging to the Naturalista Mexico network (https://www.naturalista.mx). This is a knowledge platform devoted to the plants and animals of Mexico (and of the world in general), where registered Moderating role of ecotourist typology 331 participants can record and share experiences and sightings of different species with other amateurs and professionals interested in nature (Naturalista CONABIO, 2022). We selected this digital platform because its users present some of the fundamental characteristics of the ecotourist profile, such as an interest in experiencing direct contact with nature (B aez and Acuña, 2003). Ecotourists have also been found to seek learning experiences and knowledge, as well as opportunities to socialize with other ecotourists (Sarkar et al.,2014). All of these aspects, ideologies and values are reflected in the user profiles on the Naturalista Mexico platform and in the photographs and reviews of different species that users upload onto it. Another of its characteristics that led us to consider it a VCC platform is the exchange of resources that it facilitates between users, itself and other stakeholders [1]. This network is the result of collaboration between the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the United States iNaturalist.org network. The strength of this platform lies in its diverse and extensive collection of photographs of Mexican plants, animals and fungi, to which a diverse range of publics and scientists continually contribute (Naturalista CONABIO, 2022). There are currently more than 3 million sightings listed on the site, with more than 40,000 species identified, which raises awareness of biodiversity and encourages participation and exploration of local environments. In the present study, CONABIO, in collaboration with the research team, was charged with distributing an email to all the network’s members (from February to June 2021) inviting them to participate in the research, including a link to the online questionnaire. CONABIO also published the link on its social networks and promoted the survey in faceto-face and virtual workshops. At the time of the research, the network comprised a total of 41,079 members. The condition that had to be fulfilled to participate in the study was that the subjects had actively participated on the Naturalista platform in the 12 months preceding the survey (by recording sightings, identifying species and sharing content). Furthermore, all the platform users who participated in the study had had some experience of ecotourism in the preceding year. The initial sample was based on 593 surveys, of which 439 met the requirement of active participation in the Figure 1. Conceptual model of VCC in digital ecotourism platforms SJME 27,3 332 behavior) is also significant for all types of ecotourists but, once again, is higher among Naturalist ecotourists. 5. Discussion of the results The findings of this study provided strong support for the proposed theoretical model. Perceived platform usefulness exerts a major influence on the generation of VCC among users –afinding that is in line with previous studies (Koh et al., 2007): when community members perceive a platform and its content to be useful, they tend to view and analyze its content more often. Perceived platform usefulness also positively influences the participation behavior of users: when they consider a VCC platform to be useful, they take more initiative to actively participate in it (Cheung and To, 2016). This suggests that, in turn, they will co-create with greater intensity, and that participation can therefore be considered an important psychological construct in VCC. Based on the scale developed by Busser and Shulga (2018),thefindings of our research demonstrate the multidimensionality of VCC as a second-order construct with five dimensions: meaningfulness, collaboration, contribution, recognition and affective response. Of these five,wefoundthatthedimensionsthatcontributethemostto the formation of the VCC construct among ecotourists were affective response and meaningfulness; and the dimension that contributed the least was recognition. Therefore, it is important for digital ecotourism platforms to actively encourage and recognize the commitment and vital collaborative work that ecotourists contribute every day, as their behavior toward these platforms is largely voluntary and not driven by external incentives (Wang et al., 2012). Through a segmentation process, we identified four types of ecotourists (Observers, Explorers, Creatives and Naturalists), who present different behaviors in their respective interactions with the platform and, therefore, in the way they co-create value on it. The platform’s users have different motivations but, primarily, they seek to: enjoy a healthy lifestyle; share experiences with friends and family; escape from routine; learn and develop skills; and keep fit–all of which are basic characteristics of ecotourists (Lorenzo-Romero et al.,2019). Table 9. Direct and indirect conditional effects of X on Y Conditional direct effects Type of ecotourist Effect SE t-value p-value 95% CI Observers 0.148 0.072 2.068 0.039 0.007 0.289 Explorers 0.225 0.039 5.817 0.000 0.149 0.301 Creatives 0.242 0.055 4.439 0.000 0.135 0.349 Naturalists 0.463 0.109 4.258 0.000 0.249 0.676 Conditional indirect effects Type of ecotourist Effect BootSE 95% CI Observers 0.063 0.033 0.007 0.137 Explorers 0.036 0.017 0.007 0.074 Creatives 0.060 0.023 0.019 0.110 Naturalists 0.164 0.062 0.062 0.303 Moderating role of ecotourist typology 339 They tend to fall into two age ranges of 21–30 years old (34.5%) and 31–40 years old (24.3%), suggesting that this is an adult and young people’s market. In line with Palacio and McCool (1997), who found that “ecotourists”and “nature escapists”tended to participate in a wider variety of ecotourism activities, in our study, we found that Naturalists are the most likely of the four typologies to participate in the VCC process on digital ecotourism platforms (especially compared to Observers). Naturalists primarily have a positive and significant moderating effect on the relationship between perceived platform usefulness and VCC. They are usually young users (approximately 35 years old, on average), take good care of their health and like to keep fit and enjoy learning about nature, but they are also immersed in ICTs. They are also more environmentally aware than the other three typologies and want their vacations to be sustainable, both ecologically and socioculturally (Butzmann and Job, 2017). 6. Conclusions This study considered three fundamental concepts (1) Ecotourism, which has been shown to have the capacity to achieve sustainable results in both practical terms and also on the level of knowledge and learning. Here, tourists actively seek more sustainable products or services to fulfill their needs, even if these involve higher costs. (2) VCC, the success of which depends on the participation of the actors (Agrawal and Rahman, 2017). VCC is characterized by the integration and interaction of the resources of each actor –in line with their expectations, needs and capacities –to derive benefits (McColl-Kennedy et al., 2012;Vargo and Lusch, 2004). (3) Digital platforms, which generate interactions and facilitate the combination of skills, abilities and knowledge that support VCC practices (Luo et al., 2015). The blend of VCC and digital platforms plays an important role in empowering consumers (Tussyadiah and Zach, 2013). All three concepts were embodied in the Naturalista platform. By studying this specific website, we were able to corroborate our theoretical model, which proposes that the VCC construct is multidimensional. Co-creation would not happen without the support of a series of antecedents, such as perceived platform usefulness and user participation, both of which, as demonstrated in this study, are highly practical when it comes to managing services or products, if not crucial. By conducting this study, we have demonstrated that ecotourists are active participants in VCC on digital platforms, thanks to the usefulness they perceive them to have –in this case, for scientific purposes in the observation of plant and animal species. Furthermore, the role played by ecotourist typology in these constructs is fundamental when deciding how to address each segment, as ecotourists participate in different ways and certainly do not share the same perception of the platform’s usefulness in the VCC process. The co-creation of value with ecotourists is an effective way for firms, institutions and stakeholders to acquire knowledge and learning. The evidence gathered from this study suggests that the challenge for the managers of these digital ecotourism platforms is to identify, train and motivate ecotourists with the necessary skills and characteristics, to turn them into co-creators. With the proposed segmentation, the study provides knowledge with which to identify these ecotourists and generate greater engagement with them. SJME 27,3 340 7. Implications The results of this study offer some interesting theoretical and practical implications, enabling us to better understand the process of VCC formation in ecotourism digital platforms and confirming the direct and significant effect of perceived platform usefulness and user participation behavior on VCC. Another interesting contribution derived from this research is that it sheds light on the theoretical debate surrounding the dimensionality of the VCC construct. The results show that VCC is a multidimensional construct consisting of five dimensions that correspond to different personal characteristics of the tourist, in line with those proposed by Busser and Shulga (2018). Digital ecotourism platforms enable a multi-stakeholder blending of resources, knowledge and skills, resulting in sustainable learning and management of the multiple relationships involved in the VCC process. These platforms contribute to improving sustainability and protecting biodiversity, as their users are continually reporting any changes they identify in the flora and fauna of natural environments. This constitutes an action that is directly relevant to SDGs 14 and 15, relating to the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and other marine resources, as well as sustainable management of forests, combating desertification and biodiversity loss. This study has shown the co-creation behavior of users on these digital ecotourism platforms (in line with different perceptions of platform usefulness and their participation). By participating, users undertake activities that help in the conservation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and in raising public awareness of the issues involved. Segmenting the users of such nature-related digital platforms –into Observers, Explorers, Creatives or Naturalists, for example –is therefore of particular interest to government institutions, tour operators and companies involved in sustainable tourism, to identify those segments that provide valuable information and facilitate sustainable development. To improve the participation of ecotourists in such platforms (and, thus, their contribution to environmental conservation), the managers of digital ecotourism platforms must take into account that ecotourists do not constitute a single, homogeneous group (Taczanowska et al.,2019), nor do they have the same preferences or pursue the same goals when taking part in ecotourism activities. This means that the four different profiles of ecotourism platform users are of particular interest when planning the “what, where, and how”of promoting a digital ecotourism platform and adapting strategies to the specific characteristics of each group (Carrascosa-L opez et al., 2021). Drawing on these profiles and results, the administrators of digital ecotourism platforms could focus their marketing efforts accordingly and attract new users with campaigns directed at each profile. The primary candidate for this more targeted profiling is the Naturalist segment, as these users present specific characteristics that distinguish them from other ecotourists in terms of VCC. These characteristics focus on their high level of motivation for being out in nature and escaping from routine, with similar segments having also been identified in other studies (Carrascosa-L opez et al.,2021;Palacio and McCool, 1997; Taczanowska et al., 2019). 8. Limitations and future research directions Like many other studies, the present research is subject to a number of limitations. First, the findings correspond to the users of the Naturalista platform, which focuses on Mexican biodiversity in particular. Hence, they should be interpreted with caution when generalizing about ecotourism platforms and digital communities more widely. Furthermore, cultural differences between countries may also have affected the results. Moderating role of ecotourist typology 341 As noted by Fennell and Nowaczek (2003) in their study of ecotourist behavior in a cross-cultural context, not only do ecotourists constitute a heterogeneous market but ecotourism profiles differ significantly within and between countries. Future studies should therefore endeavor to confirm these results in other cultural settings in which the Naturalista Network operates, such as Canada, Australia, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia, among other countries. Future research could also examine how gender may play a moderating role in the relationships discussed here, or how the behaviors of the different types of users, such as active vs “lurker”participants (Chung et al.,2010), may influence VCC. In addition, it could be interesting for future studies to validate other variables that have been found by other authors to be key antecedents of VCC, such as gamification (Sigala, 2015b) or experienced enjoyment (Füller et al., 2009). While there are few other ecotourism platforms where other studies of this type could be carried out, the present study offers information for future platforms that may want to venture into this field. 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SJME 27,3 346 Appendix Corresponding author Laura Hern andez-L opez can be contacted at: [email protected] For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website: www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm Or contact us for further details: [email protected] Table A1. Exploratory factor analysis for type of ecotourist Items Factor1 Factor2 Factor3 Factor4 Factor5 I usually travel to natural environments ... (TE01) ...for the solitude 0.03 0.04 0.79 0.10 0.14 (TE02) ...to relax my mind 0.66 0.17 0.48 0.05 0.20 (TE03) ...get away from other people 0.17 0.04 0.83 0.08 0.06 (TE04) ...experience the tranquility 0.70 0.20 0.45 0.06 0.13 (TE05) ...be in a natural setting 0.81 0.14 0.06 0.13 0.12 (TE06) ...observe the scenic beauty 0.79 0.12 0.00 0.18 0.10 (TE07) ...enjoy the noise and smell of nature 0.77 0.09 0.02 0.26 0.21 (TE08) ...understand the natural world better 0.62 0.01 0.08 0.64 0.10 (TE09) ...learn more about nature 0.64 0.00 0.12 0.62 0.08 (TE010) ...for the adventure 0.49 0.21 0.04 0.22 0.44 (TE011) ...help keep me in shape 0.20 0.18 0.05 0.17 0.90 (TE012) ...improve my physical health 0.29 0.16 0.07 0.16 0.85 (TE013) ...develop my skills and ability 0.15 0.19 0.11 0.70 0.25 (TE014) ...I could do something creative such as photography 0.16 0.21 0.14 0.73 0.10 (TE015) ...I think it would be a challenge 0.06 0.32 0.33 0.46 0.44 (TE016) ...I could do things with my companion 0.13 0.91 0.03 0.14 0.18 (TE017) ...I could be with friends 0.11 0.92 0.04 0.11 0.16 (TE018) ...to be with others who enjoy the same 0.21 0.83 0.00 0.17 0.11 Source: Adapted from Palacio and McCool (1997) Moderating role of ecotourist typology 347