The role of market mavens in co-creating tourist experiences and increasing loyalty to service providers

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explain the role of market mavens in the tourist sector and to explore the importance of tourist experience co-creation in increasing loyalty to service providers. A survey was conducted on a sample of 425 Croatian residents who had travelled at least once in the year before the study. Two hypotheses were set and empirically tested by partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). This research confirms that market mavens are inclined to share tourist experiences and to engage in tourist experience co-creation. It also shows that if market mavens are co-creating tourist experience with travel professionals they are more likely to continue to collaborate with the same service provider, hence, demonstrating loyalty. This paper contributes to knowledge of consumer behaviour in tourism by emphasising the role of market mavens in co-creating tourist experience. The scientific contribution is found in testing the influence of market mavens on co-creating tourist experience and loyalty to service providers. The paper also explains the implications for service providers in tourism. Learning about the influence of market mavens on the process of co-creating tourist experience can help service providers to engage more with these individuals to enhance their loyalty