This paper aims to accomplish three goals: firstly, to examine how the use of VR technologies in exploring a tourist destination shapes the destination's image and influences visit intentions; secondly, to evaluate the role of the 'sense of presence' in creating the consumer experience; and thirdly, to investigate the moderating effect of the technology's interactivity level. The model for this study incorporates the variables of sense of presence (Makransky et al., 2017), customer experience (Bleier et al. 2019), destination image (Molinillo et al., 2018), and intention to visit (Flavián et al., 2019). It posits that the sense of presence impacts customer experience positively, which, in turn, shapes the destination image. Both factors determine the intention to visit.
A lab-based experiment with undergraduate students was carried out, manipulating two factors: the tourist destination (Paris n = 42, vs. Singapore n = 37) and the type of VR technology (Google Earth n = 25, StreetView n = 25, 360 video n = 29). Participants interacted with the VR representation of their assigned destination for 10 minutes and completed a questionnaire afterward. The mean age was 20.84 years, with 53% females, 40.5% first-time VR users, and 68.4% having taken at least one international trip in the past three years.
The results showed that the perceived levels of interactivity vary between different VR technologies. The intention to visit didn't significantly differ based on the proximity of the destination viewed. The Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression method used to assess the model confirmed all hypothesized relationships. Multi-group analysis (MGA) showed no significant differences between the three technologies concerning the effects of social presence on customer experience and destination image, but there were significant differences in their effects on the intention to visit. Google Earth resulted in the highest average intention to visit.
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