The formation of the brand capital of a tourist destination based on the tourist experience generated in social media

Information and communication technologies (ICTs), including social media (SM), have become new ways to improve the brand equity of destinations. Considering the foundations of post-tourism theory, ICTs constitute a means through which the tourist can access tourism experiences prior to visiting the destination. The objective of this study is to determine whether tourism experiences through SM are a valid mechanism to increase brand equity. For this reason: (a) a brand equity model of a tourist destination generated from tourist experiences through SM is proposed and validated, and (b) the relationships existing between the different dimensions of brand equity are analysed. The results show that tourism experiences through SM are capable of increasing the brand equity of tourist destinations.