Revitalizing staycation trends: insights from a secondary-stakeholder CSR perspective

Purpose To provide a holistic assessment of tourists’ staycation intentions, this study aims to investigate the role of secondary-stakeholder corporate social responsibility (CSR) on local engagement. Based on construal-level theory and stimulus-organism-response model, this study unpacks how and when secondary-stakeholder CSR influences staycation intention. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered from 312 Chinese tourists with prior staycation experiences. Data were subsequently analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings This study illuminates that secondary-stakeholder CSR positively influences staycation intention directly and indirectly through psychological belonging and safety. Noteworthily, immersive experience strengthens the influence of psychological belonging on staycation intention while its effect on the relationship between psychological safety and staycation intention is negligible. Research limitations/implications All variables in this study were collected via self-report measures provided by hotel customers with staycation experiences. Although both statistical and procedural remedies are used, it would be more useful if future studies could gather time-lagged and/or multiple sources of data. Originality/value This study augments the domain of staycation research by examining CSR marketing through a stakeholder perspective. This nuanced analysis elucidates the intertwined dynamics among secondary-stakeholder CSR, psychological sense of belonging and safety, and immersive experiences that delineate the landscape of staycation markets, casting light on their epoch-defining implications for hotels’ developmental trajectories.