“Determinants of Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) in the Hospitality Industry of an Emerging Sub-Saharan Country: Sustainability as an Integral Part”

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) in Ghana’s hospitality industry, with a particular focus on how sustainability functions as a core component of brand strength. Drawing on a survey of 300 Ghanaian hospitality consumers and using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the study investigates how environmental, social, and economic sustainability together with innovation shape perceived quality, brand associations, and loyalty. The findings of this study shed light on how sustainability practices and innovation shape customer-based brand equity (CBBE) in the hospitality industry of Ghana. As the results indicate, the relationships among the three dimensions of sustainability are not uniform in their impact on customers’ perceptions of brand value. Rather, environmental sustainability and innovation emerged as the strongest predictors of CBBE, while economic and social sustainability played more limited or selective roles. These results highlight that in the Ghanaian context, sustainability is not merely an ethical add-on but an integral driver of customer value. The study offers new theoretical insights and practical guidance for hospitality brands seeking long-term competitiveness.