Symbolic consumption of tourism destination brands Yuksel Ekinci a, b, ⁎, Ercan Sirakaya-Turk c , Sandra Preciado a a Department of Marketing, Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX33 1HX, UK b The University of Wollongong, Australia c College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management, The University of South Carolina, Columbia, Carolina Coliseum, 1010C, Columbia, SC 29208, United States abstract article info Article history: Received 1 November 2010 Received in revised form 1 June 2011 Accepted 1 August 2011 Available online 24 October 2011 Keywords: Destination brands Self-congruence Social identification Lifestyle-congruence This study investigates the symbolic meaning of tourism destination brands. Specifically, this study examines the relationship between symbolic consumption of tourism destination brands and destination brand loyalty. A structural equation model tests data collected from international tourists (n = 361) who visited a Mediterranean resort city. The results validate three dimensions of symbolic tourism destination brand—self-congruence, brand identification, and lifestyle-congruence affect destination brand loyalty. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed within the general framework of consumer behavior theory. © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction What is consumption? How does consumption's meaning differ for individuals and groups across cultures? These questions seem straightforward, yet the topics are the focus of literarily thousands of research papers in the past century. Consumption is more than a single activity associated with using a material object; the process in- cludes pre-purchase and post-purchase activities. In marketing, Campbell (1987, p. 102) defines consumption as the “selection, pur- chase, use, maintenance, repair and disposal of any good or service”. While goods are consumed for utilitarian value (e.g., Bourdieu, 1984; Douglas & Isherwood, 1996), consumption also is symbolic (Holt, 1998; McCracken, 1990). Symbolic consumption occurs when consumers choose, buy, and use products to assist individuals in the creation, confirmation and communication of their identity (Belk, Bahn, & Mayer, 1982; Bhat & Reddy, 1998). Product value extends beyond the satisfying immediate needs—playing an important role in the psychological and social as- pects of consumers' lives (Ahuvia, Lacobucci, & Thompson, 2005; Banister & Hogg, 2003; Wattanasuwan, 2005). Another key point is symbolic consumption should include both enquiry from the per- spective of accepting products as well as from consumption avoid- ance (e.g., Hogg, Banister, & Stephenson, 2009; McGinnis & Gentry, 2009). Consumption's symbolic meaning is particularly important in the world of brands, because their creation and commercialization de- pends greatly on their symbolic properties. Focusing on positive con- sumption, brands increasingly are seen as symbolic resources for expressing the individuals' self-concept and lifestyle (McCracken, 1987). Consuming a specific brand and associated brand image allows consumers to create, transform, and express their self-identity (Belk et al., 1982; Dittmar, 2008). Although symbolic consumption receives great attention in the marketing literature (e.g., possessions, products and brands), the concept's application to leisure and tourism is limit- ed (e.g., Brown, 1992; Dimanche & Samdahl, 1994; Echtner, 1999; Veblen, 1994). Specifically, the investigation of symbolic consump- tion related to destination brands is scarce in the English literature. To address this gap, the present study's aims are (1) to evaluate con- sumption's symbolic meaning for tourism destination brands using self- and socio-cultural theories, and (2) to investigate symbolic brand consumption's effect on destination brand loyalty. 2. Theoretical background 2.1. Symbolic consumption The symbolic property of consumption objects has gained renewed attention in the last two decades. Levy (1959) and Elliott (1999) argue people engage in consumption activities for both symbolic prop- erties and functional benefits. Accordingly, symbolic consumption describes the fundamental part in the creation, enhancement, mainte- nance, transformation, disposition, expression, association, and differ- entiation of the self (e.g., Ahuvia et al., 2005; Bhat & Reddy, 1998; Dittmar, 2008). For instance, Belk (1988) explains how possessions Journal of Business Research 66 (2013) 711–718 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Marketing, Business School, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, OX33 1HX, UK. E-mail addresses: yekinci@brookes.ac.uk (Y. Ekinci), ercan@hrsm.sc.edu (E. Sirakaya-Turk), spreciado@brookes.ac.uk (S. Preciado). 0148-2963/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.09.008 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Journal of Business Research