Strategic branding in sport tourism: the role of value co-creation and tourist evangelism in non-mega sport events

Research question This study examines how value co-creation experiences affect sport tourists’ brand perception of a destination, focusing on non-mega sport events. Value co-creation and tourist evangelism, while gaining attention in the field of general tourism, have not been deeply examined in sport tourism and non-mega events. This study aims to fill the gap by focusing on destination brand evangelism in non-mega sport event-based tourism and examining the processes of mediation and moderation.Research methods Using data collected from 486 sport tourists who visited Rongjiang County to watch the Village Super League within the past two years, this study employed partial least squares structural equation modelling via SmartPLS 4.1. Data were collected through an online survey platform using convenience sampling in December 2024.Results and Findings Path analysis revealed that value co-creation experience positively impacts brand equity, which fosters stronger brand attachment and evangelism. The study identified dual mediation pathways: cognitive (through brand equity) and affective (through brand attachment), with a significant sequential mediation effect. Sport involvement did not significantly moderate these relationships, suggesting that the co-creation to evangelism pathways operate similarly for high and low sport involvement tourists.Implications This research advances service-dominant logic, transformative learning theory, and social exchange theory within non-mega sport event-based tourism, introducing a dual-pathway framework that bridges cognitive and affective dimensions of destination branding. Findings provide destination marketing organisations with strategic insights for leveraging non-mega sport events to cultivate devoted brand evangelists through authentic, community-based experiences.