AI-driven analysis of tourist value co-creation practices in green tourism ecosystems: a case study of Mekong Delta tours

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of customer co-creation in sustainable tourism within the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, by analyzing 8,362 TripAdvisor reviews. This paper explores how tourists actively participate in shaping their experiences and identifies key value co-creation practices. Design/methodology/approach This research uses Latent Dirichlet Allocation to identify ten key topics reflecting diverse tourist experiences. Aspect-based sentiment analysis using OpenAI’s API is used to predict sentiments in new reviews, focusing on five identified co-creation practices. This approach leverages advanced large language models for efficient and high-quality sentiment analysis. Findings The analysis reveals five primary tourist value co-creation practices: participation in local activities and customs, environmental stewardship, feedback and customization of experiences, interactive learning and knowledge exchange and promotion and advocacy. The identification of interactive learning and knowledge exchange as a form of institution-based trust enhances understanding of the institutional mechanisms in sustainable tourism, emphasizing the importance of trust in local institutions for fostering meaningful tourist engagement and value co-creation. Originality/value This study integrates advanced AI techniques with traditional qualitative methods to provide rapid and detailed insights into tourist behaviors and sentiments. This study offers practical contributions for tourism managers and marketers, enabling them to enhance sustainable tourism strategies based on a nuanced understanding of customer reviews.