Customer-to-customer interaction (CCI) in a hotel experience

The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the importance of consumer/consumer interaction (CCI) in a tourism experience. After presenting the conceptual foundations related to the concept of consumer/consumer interaction, its antecedents (perceived similarity with other consumers and extraversion) and its consequences (attachment to the place, desire to stay, and loyalty). A qualitative study is necessary in order to adapt the concepts from the literature review to the hotel industry context and adjust our conceptual model. An empirical study was then conducted with 519 tourists of different nationalities to validate the causality model and verify the moderating role of the tourist's gender and nationality in the links between consumer/consumer interaction and its consequences. These results call for further investigation to enrich the conceptual and empirical framework of CCI.