Abstract
The present study contributes to the discussion on transferring the concept of customer-based brandequity (CBBE) to a tourism destination context. The core component of the proposed CBBE modelfor tourism destinations (CBDBE) considers customers' evaluation of the destination promise interms of the transformation of destination resources into value-in-use for tourists. The introducedCBDBE model consists of six interdependent constructs, including awareness, tourists' perception offunctional, tangible and social destination resources, value-in-use disclosing the purpose and benefitsof consumption, value-for-money, satisfaction and loyalty. The model was tested for the leadingSwedish mountain destination Åre for the summer season by using customer-based survey data anda linear structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Findings confirm the hypothesized relationshipsand the hierarchical structure of the proposed model. Managerial implications are discussedand the agenda for future CBDBE research is outlined. © 2018 Cognizant, LLC.