From Practices to Experiences: A Process Framework of Value Co-creation in the Tourism Sharing Economy

Abstract

The tourism sharing economy (TSE) has transformed tourism experiences by enabling direct interaction between hosts, guests, and local communities. While value co-creation is central to these encounters, the social practices through which value emerges remain underexplored. This study investigates how value co-creation develops through the interplay of social practices and experiential value in TSE contexts. Using participant observation, semi-structured interviews with hosts, guests, and local service providers, and focus groups in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the research identifies a sequence of practices across the pre-trip, during-trip, and post-trip stages, including information-seeking, welcoming, storytelling, collaboration, personalization, and feedback. These practices support resource integration and generate diverse experiential value for multiple actors. The study proposes a process framework linking social practices, platform infrastructures, and multi-actor participation, thereby conceptualizing value co-creation as a staged, practice-based process. The findings advance co-creation theory and offer insights for platform-mediated tourism development.