Impact of destination psychological ownership on residents' "place citizenship behavior"

The residents of a destination play an important role in shaping a strong brand for that destination. However, little research has been done on how and why residents show discretionary behaviors to promote the effectiveness of their brand. This study applies the novel concept of residents' 'place citizenship behavior' to advance this research area. Specifically, we empirically examined the impact of destination residents' psychological ownership on their place citizenship behavior, and the findings reveal that place citizenship behavior is composed of positive word of mouth (WOM), helping behavior, supporting behavior, tolerant behavior, and protecting behavior. Destination psychological ownership positively affects place attachment, which further affects place citizenship behavior. Residents who have high self-efficacy are more likely to exhibit place citizenship behavior than those low in self-efficacy, even when they have similar levels of place attachment. This study provides theoretical and managerial insights into understanding the roles of residents in building a popular destination.