How do young-oriented values facilitate conspicuous consumption travel behaviour through information searching and content generation?

Purpose This study explores how the effects of youth-oriented values influence the behavioural attitudes towards online conspicuous activities during travel, leading to their further conspicuous consumption travel behaviour. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a mixed-methods approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 young tourists to extract the youth-oriented value measurement scale. A systematic survey was conducted in a renovated heritage site in China. PLS-SEM analysis was performed on 322 responses to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results of semi-structured interviews supplement seven new items and form a measurement scale of youth-oriented values with 16 items in three dimensions (self-identification, peer-identification and eagerness to change). The results of PLS-SEM analysis reveal that all three youth-oriented values significantly influence attitudes towards information searching and content generation, and these two behavioural attitudes are positively related to continuous conspicuous consumption travel. The openness trait moderates the relationship between self-identification and content generation. Originality/value The study contributes to youth tourism research in conspicuous consumption travel behaviour. It provides insights to tourism operators to formulate strategies to develop the young tourist market in a cultural heritage tourism context.