Exploring the Implications of Virtual Reality Technology in Tourism Marketing: An Integrated Research Framework

Abstract

The proliferation of the Internet and other technological innovations has transformed the structure of the tourism industry as well as affected how tourism destinations are perceived and consumed. The 3D virtual world provides opportunities for destination marketing organizations to communicate with targeted markets by offering a rich environment for potential visitors to explore tourism destinations. However, as of yet, there is little understanding about how to effectively market tourism destinations to virtual world participants who are technology users as well as potential consumers. The purpose of the present study is to develop a research framework that integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and self‐determination theory to understand how tourists use a 3D virtual world. Primary data were obtained for this study through self‐administered Web questionnaires. The data were conducted in a laboratory setting with 186 participants. This study contributes to the empirical TAM literature by applying the model to a 3D virtual tourism site. Additionally, this study provides a research framework to capture the entertainment nature of a 3D virtual world by extending the TAM to incorporate psychological elements of self‐determination theory to understand consumer experience. From the perspective of tourism professionals, this study contributes to an understanding of how best to construct informative and interactive tourist destinations in 3D virtual worlds to attract potential online and real‐world tourists. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Role of Mobile Technology in Tourism: Patents, Articles, News, and Mobile Tour App Reviews

“…The first theme of mobile technology in tourism that is attracting researchers' interest is short range wireless technology such as Radio frequency identification (RFID) [97][98][99] and Near field communication (NFC) [67,76,77,100]. The second theme includes augmented reality [101][102][103][104] and virtual reality [105], which enables a pre-experience for a user [33]. This theme is noted in tourism research as tourism marketing tools [106].…”

What does Web 4.0 Promise for Tourism Ecosystem? A Qualitative Research on Tourism Ecosystem Stakeholders’ Awareness

“…However, as of yet, there is little understanding about how to effectively market tourism destinations to virtual world participants who are technology users as well as potential consumers (Huang, Backman, Backman & Chang, 2016). Williams & Hobson (1995) pointed out that virtual reality, equipped with visualization components offering interactivity and immersion into a virtual experience in tourism, simulated environments that affect tourists" trip planning and influence the tourism industry.…”

“…The result of Huang, Backman, Backman & Chang (2016) research on the effects of virtual reality technology in tourism marketing revealed that perceived usefulness is positively related to the experience of enjoyment, indicating that useful information in 3D tourism sites -such as the visual resemblance and overall feel of the physical tourism destination, naturalistic elements and images of cultural authenticity -can enhance the consumer experience of enjoyment.…”

Conceptual Model of Primary Frames on Tourist Experience Mediated by Technology. Illustration from Subaquatic Tours in Cozumel, Mexico

“…A partir del uso intensivo de las TIC en todos los ámbitos de la vida humana y por ende en el turismo, los estudios se han multiplicado en temáticas y abordajes, en dos grandes sentidos, el primero que abarca los estudios que se centran en el desarrollo de tecnología para su aplicación en el turismo (Gretzel, Fesenmaier, Formica & O'Leary, 2006) mediante sistemas expertos en lo que se ha denominado smart tourism (Buhalis & Amaranggana, 2013), mediante el aprovechamiento de la información, y cloud computing (Sheldon, 2004), el desarrollo de tecnologías para la optimización en el uso de los recursos en hoteles, aeropuertos y destinos turísticos (Buhalis & O'Connor, 2005), o de manera específica en las oficinas de congresos y convenciones (Yuan, Gretzel & Fesenmaier, 2006), en la mejoría de la información para uso de los visitantes en comunidades de redes sociales de viajeros (Lo & McKercher, 2015) y también para mejorar la experiencia de viaje mediante realidad aumentada y/o realidad virtual (Govers, 2005;Gretzel & Jamal, 2009;Huang, Backman, Backman, & Chang, 2015;Kounavis, Kasimati & Zamani, 2012).…”