I want to travel to the past! The role of creative style and historical reconstructions as antecedents of informativeness in a virtual visit to a heritage tourist destination

Abstract

ABSTRACT Virtual visits are a particularly useful way to learn about heritage tourism destinations. This article examines three design variables (i.e. technology interface: web browser vs. virtual reality device; creative style of information: textual vs. pictorial; and presence of historical reconstructions: yes vs. no) of a virtual visit to identify their influence on perceived informativeness and intention to recommend a destination. We performed a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental factorial design with 116 Spanish tourists. We found that the presence of historical reconstructions especially improves informativeness when combined with extra textual information; and that if the visit is mediated by an immersive VR device, textual information cues influence intention to recommend more than do pictorial cues, but when the virtual visit is carried out using a less immersive technological interface, pictorial content has more influence on intention to recommend. Theoretical and managerial contributions are discussed.