Metaverse and Tourism: From a New Niche to a Transformation

Abstract

Metaverse is named among the technologies that are predicted to transform everyday life. The proliferation of such technologies as the Internet and smartphones has triggered major transformations in the tourism industry. This paper conceptualises the phenomenon of Metaverse towards the phenomenon of tourism. It applies a semi-systematic literature review methodology to identify existing alignment between the phenomena. The paper concludes that there is a conceptual alignment between the critical dimensions of the Metaverse and tourism. Tourism should be ready for the reciprocal effects of metaverse development on tourism and vice versa, from new opportunities to enhance tourist experience to a possible dissolution of the contemporary understanding of tourism.

Seyahat Danışmanı Olarak Chatgpt'nin Yeteneklerini Keşfetmek: Turizm Pazarlamasında Üretken Yapay Zeka Üzerine Bir Araştırma

“…Ayrıca, turistler deneyimlerini zaman ve mekandan bağımsız olarak geliştirmek için çeşitli teknolojilere güvenmektedir (Suhud vd., 2023). Dolayısıyla, turizm pazarının genişlemesi ve turist sayısının artması, internet teknolojisindeki ilerlemeler nedeniyle sektörde önemli değişikliklere yol açmıştır (Liu ve Wei, 2023;Volchek ve Brysch, 2023). Sonuç olarak, turizm ve hizmet sektöründeki şirketlere uygulanabilen bir ekonomi için yeni bir ağ yönetim modeli ortaya çıkmıştır (Kazak vd., 2022).…”

Bibliometric insight into Metaverse’s role in the tourism industry

“…The tourism industry should prepare for various co-development scenarios given that reciprocal interactions between tourism and metaverse development are plausible. These possibilities include the prospect of the Metaverse acting as a transformational force mandating a complete reinvention of the tourism paradigm and the technological capabilities of the ~ 105 ~ Metaverse potentially enhancing tourist experiences (Volchek & Brysch, 2023) [22] . The metaverse creates a whole new world of opportunities for immersive travel experiences and destination marketing by uniting the real and virtual worlds.…”

Scope extension of the metaverse tourism concept: Proposing a research agenda

“…However, the authors argue that studies into the application of the metaverse in tourism are still quite limited. The emergence of new technologies has played a transformative role in contemporary times, and the metaverse is no exception (Volchek and Brysch, 2023). However, despite its revolutionary effect, the influence of the metaverse on tourism is still little explored (Buhalis and Karatay, 2022;Dwivedi et al, 2022;Almeida and Almeida, 2023;, opening room for new research.…”

“…The integration of the metaverse into tourism challenges the traditional understanding of this sector, requiring a review of existing definitions (Volchek and Brysch, 2023). In addition, the growing use of gamification in tourism, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, has created a favorable market for the development of the metaverse, especially among younger consumers who are considered digital natives (Buhalis et al, 2020;Buhalis et al, 2023a).…”