Virtual Reality Tourism Research Articles

Virtual Reality at a Prehistoric Museum: Exploring the Influence of System Quality and Personality on User Intentions

Virtual Reality (VR) promises many benefits for the tourism industry. However, a review of tourism-related VR research shows that the roles of system quality and user personality remain largely unexplored. This study examines the causal relation underlying VR quality (information quality, interactivity, and visual attractiveness) and the user's personality (openness to experience, conscientiousness, and social influence) in conjunction with usability, attitude, and behavioural intention. We collected user data from a VR tourism experience of the Sangiran museum at Surakarta, Indonesia using a Head Mounted Device VR. The Sangiran museum is an archaeological excavation site recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Two hundred eighteen valid responses were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. The result suggests that only visual attractiveness positively impacts usability from a VR quality perspective, while openness to experience and social influence show significant positive evidence of attitude. These findings are discussed based on the practical and theoretical implications, including future research opportunities into VR tourism.

Overview of the application of virtual reality in the field of visual arts and video games

Virtual reality (VR) is an important technology applied in the field of visual arts and game in recent years. VR has revolutionized the field of visual arts and video games with its unique immersion, interactivity, and has significantly improved the user experience for oneself. This paper summarizes the application of VR in visual arts and video games, including VR exhibitions, VR performances, VR tourism, VR games, etc. and compares them with traditional ways. The aspects of immersion and socialization of VR game are analyzed. At the same time, the limitation of VR interactive content and the defects of VR technology are indicated, including the problems of the gameplay's deficiency, VR input and output devices. The future development direction of VR technology is prospected.

Virtual Reality Tourism: Linkage Tourist Intention, Satisfaction, and Quality

This study aims to determine visitor behavioral intention in virtual reality (VR), including the experience with both content and system quality as will as satisfaction as the determinant factors. The data obtained from 350 visitors visiting tourism destinations in greater Bandung region, Indonesia via VR. A self-administered questionnaire was employed using online survey. The analysis was carried out by using Partial Least Square (PLS) modelling. Results of the analysis show that the experience with content quality has an important role in shaping the behavioral intention visiting a tourism destination via VR. Next, there is no significant difference in the moderating role of gender and VR experience on the relationships between variable in the behavioral intention model. This study broadens our understanding of the use of the information success model to assess visitor intention in VR tourism and assists practitioners in developing strategies to build and maintain visitor intention to visit and recommend in VR tourism.

How VR Technological Features Prompt Tourists’ Visiting Intention: An Integrated Approach

To achieve sustainable tourism, the tourism development authorities have used advanced technologies to promote destinations, attract visitors, and protect the environment. Accordingly, while the available research on tourism technologies indicates that virtual reality (VR) matters in the visit intention of potential tourists, the mechanism of their inner senses when experiencing VR technologies is overlooked. To fill in this void, this study develops a comprehensive conceptual model for investigating the influence of VR technological features on tourists’ minds, and consequently, their destination visit intention. This study integrates the technology acceptance model, stimuli-organism-response model, and flow theory into a unified conceptual model for a comprehensive understanding of tourists’ behavior. By focusing on tourists’ decision-making and behavior processes, this study sheds new light on how VR stimuli (i.e., vividness and interactivity) could translate into tourists’ attitudes and visiting intentions. This conceptual model is then tested and validated using structural equation modeling on survey data collected from 311 VR users after experiencing virtual tours designed for destinations in Vietnam. The findings indicate that virtual tours affect tourists’ psychological well-being, which translates into visiting intention. Based on the results, this study emphasizes the role of VR as a powerful marketing tool to promote a destination. Furthermore, approaches to enhance the effectiveness of VR tours, particularly, for tourism developers, are proposed. This study thus contributes to the literature in the area of VR tourism, contributing both theoretical and practical knowledge.

Examining the influence of virtual reality tourism on consumers' subjective wellbeing

Tourism consumption has been outlined as having a positive effect on individuals' subjective wellbeing, however, we had limited empirical or conceptual understanding on the propensity of VR tourism in fostering positive subjective wellbeing and the subsequent effects this has for tourism providers and policymakers. A vacation transports one's self to an alternative world, physically. In parallel, VR transports one's self to an alternative world, virtually. Accordingly, through a multiple quantitative study research-design and drawing on the theoretical lens of Presence-Theory and Effort-Recovery-Theory, this research uncovers the positive effect of VR tourism on individuals' subjective wellbeing, the nuance of the sense of presence in VR tourism in enabling psychological-detachment and enhancing consumer wellbeing along with the subsequent attitude and behaviour intentions stimulated by consumer wellbeing. Our results pertain that not only can VR tourism provide important societal and health benefits in recovery and enhancing individuals' wellbeing, but also benefits from an economic perspective.

가상 여행이 이용자의 실제 여행 의사에 미치는 영향 요인 융합 연구

At the height of COVID-19, the movement of people was severely restricted, and field travel activities were greatly affected. During this period, cloud tourism and virtual tourism have developed rapidly. Whether virtual tourism can facilitate or even replace the development of onsite tourism in the post-COIVD-19 era has become a popular research topic. This study takes virtual tourism users as the research object, adopts structural equation modeling based on the theory of planned behavior, and introduces two variables, virtual reality tourism experience and the Effect of COVID-19, to investigate the factors influencing the transformation of virtual reality tourism experience to field tourism behavior. The factors influencing the transformation of the virtual reality tourism experience to field travel behavior are studied. This study collected data from 373 valid respondents through a questionnaire. SmartPLS 4.0.0 validated the causal model, and most of the study hypotheses were supported. The results of this study show that: first, virtual reality tourism experience, perceptual behavioral control, and subjective norm can significantly affect the attitude of virtual tourism users, but only virtual reality tourism experience and virtual tourism users

Can gamification improve the virtual reality tourism experience? Analyzing the mediating role of tourism fatigue

Although virtual reality (VR) technology has been increasingly applied in the tourism industry, improving the VR experience of tourists remains a challenge. Based on two studies, this paper examines how gamification can improve the VR tourism experience through reducing tourism fatigue. Study 1 explores the relationship between gamification, tourism fatigue, and tourist satisfaction. The results show that tourists are more satisfied with a gamified, rather than non-gamified, VR tourism experience, and that motivational fatigue plays a mediating role between gamification and tourism satisfaction. Study 2 provides further evidence that four elements in gamification (challenge, feedback, reward, and leaderboard) can alleviate motivational fatigue and improve tourist satisfaction, with feedback playing the biggest role. The findings have valuable practical implications for VR experience providers, for destination practitioners in VR experience enhancement, and for the application of gamification to the VR tourism experience.

Virtual reality tourism and technology acceptance: a disability perspective

ABSTRACT Virtual Reality (VR) is radically changing the tourism industry, and virtual tourism is gaining ground as an alternative form of tourism. People with disabilities could potentially have the biggest utilisation of virtual tourism. However, the success of virtual tourism depends on the acceptance of VR technology. This study investigates the acceptance of VR in tourists with disabilities. Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour, the technology acceptance model and the leisure constraints theory, a conceptual model is proposed mapping the elements for acceptance of VR for tourism-related activities in people with disabilities. Building on this conceptualisation, we propose several propositions to guide further research in this evolving area of enquiry.

Integrated concepts of the UTAUT and TPB in virtual reality behavioral intention

Upon entering 2022, Taiwan faced an epidemic that broke out in large numbers in a short time came to have the highest infection rate in the world, which has driven the demand for virtual reality (VR) tourism. The current study integrated the concepts of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to investigate users' VR tourism behaviour intention. Using a sample of 635 virtual reality (VR) users, the results indicate that UTAUT might indirectly influence behaviour through the perceived benefits of technology usage. Further, attitudes toward VR tourism have positively strengthened the relationships between UTAUT, perceived benefits, and behavioural intention. First-order factor and second-order factor analyses of alternative models were applied to implement a comparative design with the originally proposed models. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed in the final section.

Exploring the Experience of Traveling to Familiar Places in VR: An Empirical Study Using Google Earth VR

Considered to be an emerging topic in tourism research, traveling to familiar places benefits both the travelers and destinations. However, the current development of familiar tourism is severely affected by the epidemic. Recognizing the potential of virtual reality (VR), this research aims to explore VR’s relevance in the application of visiting familiar places and the empirical features of VR beyond on-site familiar tourism. We first reviewed the literature and developed an experience framework. Secondly, we conducted an exploratory activity in which participants (N = 16) used Google Earth VR to travel to their familiar places with two conditions (free exploration and task-oriented travel). In the activity, we employed think-aloud protocols, a scale, and semi-structured interviews. With our framework, we categorized findings into five dimensions and indicated the similarities and differences between familiar tourism in VR and that in actual places. Particularly, three empirical features (the sense of distance, multi-view space, and montage time) were recognized and formed VR’s opportunity to outperform on-site travel. We conclude by discussing the impacts of VR on familiar tourism and providing implications, including designing the timeline, sounds, tasks, and virtual guides. These suggestions inspire designers to acknowledge VR limitations and identify directions for future tourism applications. As a beginning of empirical investigation on VR familiar tourism, this study opens up a new field of discussion around VR tourism experience. We invite the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community to collectively probe into the VR experience and design of visiting familiar places. Efforts in this area will stretch beyond the current understandings of various forms of tourism and contribute to crafting rich travel experience by immersive technologies.

Cycling through 360° Virtual Reality Tourism for Senior Citizens: Empirical Analysis of an Assistive Technology.

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in using virtual reality (VR) to (re)create different scenarios and environments with interactive and immersive experiences. Although VR has been popular in the tourism sector to reconfigure tourists’ relationships with places and overcome mobility restrictions, its usage in senior cyclotourism has been understudied. VR is suggested to positively impact tourism promotion, cycling simulation, and active and healthy ageing due to physical and mental rehabilitation. The purpose of this study is to assess the senior citizens’ perceived experience and attitudes toward a designed 360° VR cyclotouristic experiment, using a head-mounted display (HMD) setting within a laboratory context. A total of 76 participants aged between 50 and 97 years old were involved in convergent parallel mixed-method research, and data were collected using a questionnaire based on the technology acceptance model, as well as the researchers’ field notes. Findings suggest that 360° VR with HMD can be an effective assistive technology to foster senior cyclotourism by promoting tourism sites, simulating the cycling pedaling effect, and improving senior citizens’ general wellbeing and independence with physical and mental rehabilitation.

Virtual Tourism Experiences and Mental Restoration

Virtual reality is providing new opportunities for health and well-being, organizational learning, and tourism management. The study reported in this paper aims to examine whether engaging in a virtual reality tourism experience could function as a restorative intervention strategy to enhance mental well-being of employees in the workplace. The study employed a lab-based pre–post experimental design to test the effectiveness of a virtual reality tourism experience, involving a nature-based marine setting, to enhance mental restoration and reduce mental fatigue. The results show that 3 minutes of a virtual tourism experience can lead to enhanced concentration while boosting the mental well-being of employees, while, at the same time, providing destinations with an opportunity to promote “real” experiences.

Virtual reality tourism to satisfy wanderlust without wandering: An unconventional innovation to promote sustainability

The tourism sector has always been a target of criticism due to the adverse environmental effects of travel and activities at tourist destinations. It is thus imperative for researchers and managers to seek tourism solutions that make business sense without raising sustainability-related issues. Particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual reality tourism (VRT), a form of digitally-driven albeit unconventional ex-situ touristic travel, has attracted the attention of multiple stakeholders in the sector. However, consumers’ perceptions of and motivations to use VRT as a sustainable solution for touristic activities are yet not fully understood. We address this deficiency in the literature by drawing upon expectancy theory to propose goal difficulty and reduction in the environmental impact of tourism (REI) as expectancy-related motivations, accomplishment as an instrumentality-related motivation and willingness to sacrifice as a valence-related motivation; we anticipate these motivations, in turn, to drive two outcomes: low- and high-effort pro-environmental behaviours. Analysing data collected from 350 individuals residing in the United States, we found support for all positive associations except for that of goal difficulty with high-effort pro-environmental behaviours and REI with both pro-environmental behaviours. We also tested and confirmed the moderating effects of the number of children in a household and daily green behaviours on some of the proposed associations. Our findings offer useful insights for future research and practice in the area.

Immersive Media-Based Tourism Emerging Challenge of VR Addiction Among Generation Z.

The virtual reality (VR) applications in entertainment and tourism industry have become growingly intense among generation Z. Interestingly, some pilot research on tourism studied concluded the positive impact of its flow experience on adoption of VR tourism, which is also driving the risk of immersive addictive. In the context of tourism and information and communication technology (ICT)-based innovation, there is a lack of immersive addictive behavior (IAB)-related literature. In addition, during the currently ongoing pandemic crisis, VR technology has gained particular importance in the tourism industry among generation Z. The present venture underlines the mechanism of IAB, investigates the VR addiction while underlining the cognitive abilities of individuals. This study applies empirical framework of cognitive–behavioral model. Results demonstrate that in the case of VR tourism, the immersive experience (presence and flow) determines the addictive behavior. Furthermore, VR imagery (VI), psychological curiosity (PC), and VR convenience (VRC) have significant influence on the VR presence and immersive flow. Moreover, the practical and theoretical implications have been discussed in the current research to prevent IAB.

Online Virtual Tourism Platform Based on VR Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic and the development of emerging technologies have brought new challenges and opportunities to tourism. The tourism sector must rethink its relationship with consumers and leverage emerging technologies for business expansion and transformation. Under this circumstance, providing travelers with an immersive virtual environment to meet their travel needs through virtual reality (VR) technology is considered to be a sustainable way to develop tourism1. In this paper, an online virtual art museum travel platform is built based on VR technology, which allows users to roam in the virtual scene and interact with the objects in the scene from the first-person view. VR tourism that provides a highly realistic environment and user-driven interactive functions is regarded as a potential alternative for real-life tourism2, achieving the immersive roaming in the virtual environment. VR tourism alleviates the contradiction between constrained mobility and increased tourism willingness up against the COVID-19 pandemic, and has positive social significance.

Will the Interest Triggered by Virtual Reality (VR) Turn into Intention to Travel (VR vs. Corporeal)? The Moderating Effects of Customer Segmentation

Under the new normal of COVID-19, interest in e-production/e-services has, increasingly, included Virtual Reality (VR) tourism. However, the relationship between the perceived need for VR tourism and the stimulation of intention to corporeal tourism is, yet, vague, where corporeal tourism refers to visiting actual tourism destinations. To investigate the preferred intention of particular tourist modes (VR vs. corporeal), an integrated framework was proposed, by merging key elements from the attention, interest, desire, and action (AIDA) model and the technology-acceptance model (TAM). A sample of 657 respondents was collected, during February 2022, and hypotheses were tested using a partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM). The findings showed that interest in VR tourism had a strong hierarchical effect on the behavioral intention to a particular tourist mode, mediated by perceived usefulness or ease of use, attitude, and desire. Interest was significantly linked to two key constructures of TAM, whilst both determined attitude. Attitude significantly influenced the preference intention toward a particular tourism mode, directly and indirectly with users’ desires, as a crucial mediator in the relationship. The individual characteristics moderate the paths, from evaluation to attitude and attitude to the mediator of desire to intention. This study contributes to both theories as well as practices in tourism management and marketing.

Customer Engagement with VR-enabled Tourism Activities at Cultural Heritage Sites

Despite the tremendous amount of academic interest in virtual reality (VR), the existing conceptual models that presented VR attributes as antecedents of users’ acceptance and attitudes, failed to examine the power of VR technologies in promoting the alternative attractiveness of virtual tourism compared to traditional onsite visitation. This is of great significance to the solution of over-tourism issues frequently seen in the today’s tourism destinations, especially world-famous cultural heritage sites. Therefore, the present study fills the literature gap and empirically validates a conceptual framework that shows how visitors’ engagement with VR-enabled tourism activities could lead to an enhanced alternative attractiveness of virtual tourism, and their pro-cultural behaviors. A total of 571 valid responses from US visitors that have adopted VR-enabled tourism activities were collected to confirm the role of four VR attributes, i.e., immersion, vividness, presence, and enjoyment, in motivating users’ engagement behaviors with VR tourism activities. The study findings also testified that visitors who engaged with VR tourism activities are likely to adopt pro-cultural behaviors in the future and assessed the alternative attractiveness of VR tourism against the traditional onsite visitation. The findings will provide valuable implications for policymakers who aspire to preserve the cultural heritage sites while promoting cultural heritage destinations through advanced VR technologies.

Tourism Using Virtual Reality: Media Richness and Information System Successes

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, borders were closed, cities were blocked, and individuals went into quarantine. The market size of the tourism industry in 2020 declined by more than 70% compared to the previous year, regressing to the size it was 30 years ago. This does not mean that people’s needs for tourism have decreased. People started to use virtual reality technologies to get the experience of sightseeing even if they could not go directly to tourist attractions. Prior studies found that virtual reality technology is effective for online shopping and gaming contexts. However, there are insufficient studies investigating the effect of using virtual reality for tourism content. Therefore, this study attempts to verify how the media richness of virtual reality tourism content elicits various reactions from potential tourists in terms of perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The purpose of this study is to verify how virtual reality tourism content increases the destination visit intention after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on media richness theory and the information system success model, a hypothesis was developed. One hundred and eighty-two data were gathered from potential tourists who were in quarantine by performing an online scenario survey that used quasi-experiment methods. Data were analyzed with a PLS algorithm. The results indicate that media richness of tourism content using virtual reality significantly increased perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment. It could significantly increase satisfaction, destination visit intention, and positive word-of-mouth intention. The results of this study explain how information technology can be used in the tourism industry, and they provide suggestions on why tourism content using virtual reality can be useful for attracting tourists, and what experiences it can provide tourists.

The Effects of a Virtual Reality Tourism Experience on Tourist’s Cultural Dissemination Behavior

Virtual reality technology has been widely applied in the tourism industry, but the literature examining the relationship between the virtual tourism experience and cultural dissemination behavior is limited. This present study examines how a virtual reality tourism experience could stimulate tourists’ cultural dissemination behavior intention. It does so by developing a moderated mediation model to explore how virtual reality tourism uses digital technology to improve tourists’ experiential value, enhances their pride, and then affects their cultural dissemination behavior intentions. Results derived from a sample of 359 respondents show that VR experiential value can stimulate tourists’ cultural dissemination behavior and that the link between VR experiential value and tourists’ cultural dissemination behavior is mediated by pride. Furthermore, the cultural value of individual collectivism moderates the relationship between VR experiential value and pride. This study extends the theoretical understanding of virtual reality tourism from the emotional perspective and also has practical implications for VR design and destination marketing.

The effects of virtual reality tourism involvement on place attachment and behavioral intentions: virtual reality tourism of the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan

ABSTRACT The main purpose of this research was to explore the relationships among virtual reality tourism involvement (VRTI), place attachment, and behavioral intentions. Based on involvement theory. The VR panoramic video of the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China was the context, and 693 valid questionnaires were analyzed through AMOS 24.0. VRTI (pleasure, sign, and centrality) had significant positive effects on place attachment. Pleasure and sign had significant positive influences on behavioral intentions, while centrality had a significant negative effect. Place identity had a significant positive effect on behavioral intentions, whereas place dependence had no effect. Place dependence had a significant positive effect on place identity. Place dependence had a partial mediating effect between pleasure, centrality, and behavioral intentions, as well as a complete mediating effect between sign and behavioral intentions. Place identity played a partial mediating role between pleasure, centrality, and sign and behavioral intentions. VRTI explores a novel human-place relationship of “virtual tourism destinations – tourists – real tourism destinations”. This study expands the research on place attachment and tourist behavioral decisions, enriches the contents by applying involvement theory, proposes management strategies for VR tourism development, and provides new insights for destination marketing.