Journal
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Volume 31, Issue 11, Pages 2564-2591Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2022.2029870
Keywords
Coronavirus; health crisis; pro-environmental behaviours; SOR theory; sustainability; virtual reality tourism
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study proposes a sequential mechanism of the interplay of antecedents and outcomes using stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR), theorizing VR tourism as a sustainable solution even after the pandemic. Through analyzing responses from 359 VR users, the model confirms the positive associations of environmental impact, pandemic travel anxiety, and eco-guilt with VR tourism attitude and willingness.
The government-imposed COVID-19 pandemic control measures brought the tourism sector to a complete halt. However, virtual reality (VR) tourism offered people a way to escape the isolation. Media reports and research have noted heightened activity in VR tourism, which has been touted as alternative tourism and eco-tourism. However, scholars have yet to determine whether this shift is temporary or will persist after the pandemic is over. Questions also remain regarding the factors driving this behaviour. The present study uses stimulus-organism-response theory (SOR) to propose a sequential mechanism of the interplay of antecedents and outcomes, theorising VR tourism as a sustainable tourism solution long into the future. The model, tested by analysing 359 responses collected from VR users through Prolific Academic, confirmed the positive association of the environmental impact of touristic travel and pandemic travel anxiety with eco-guilt; pandemic travel anxiety, moreover, was also associated with attitude towards VR tourism. Furthermore, attitude towards VR tourism was positively associated with willingness to forgo the pleasure of in-situ tourism and post-pandemic VR tourism continuance intentions, with willingness also mediating the association between the other two. Finally, willingness partially mediated the association of attitude and fully mediated the association of eco-guilt with intentions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available