Bridging the nexus between sustainable destination gestalt and tourists’ value co-creation with the site: an analysis in a collectivism-oriented nation

Purpose With limited empirical research on sustainable destination branding and tourists’ active participation in sustainability initiatives, this study aims to fill this gap by examining whether and how sustainable destination gestalt influences tourists’ value co-creation. This research is significant in collectivist societies like Vietnam since it seeks to assess the cultural and personal factors via tourists’ social responsibility and collectivist orientation. Design/methodology/approach This study centered on Hoi An city (Quang Nam province, Vietnam) as the research site and utilized convenience sampling to select the respondent group. We applied structural equation modeling (SEM) using the partial least squares (PLS) method with the aid of SPSS 26 and SmartPLS 4.0 software. Findings Grounded in the signaling and social exchange theory, this study found that gestalt significantly enhanced value co-creation and tourists' perceived destination quality. While tourists’ social responsibility showed no significant moderating effects, the combined interactions of collectivist orientation and social responsibility positively strengthened the gestalt–value co-creation relationship. Practical implications This study provides insights for tourism managers by emphasizing the role of authentic storytelling, immersive experiences, sustainable infrastructure, stakeholder collaboration and community-based initiatives in fostering value co-creation, particularly in collectivist cultural contexts. Originality/value This study contributes to understanding gestalt by linking it to tourists’ value co-creation and highlighting its role in enhancing perceived destination quality. It also reveals how cultural and personal factors – tourists’ social responsibility and collectivist orientation – interact with sustainable destination gestalt to shape value co-creation, offering valuable insights for collectivist contexts like Vietnam.