Despite the growing interest and discussions on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in tourism, we do not yet know systematically, the knowledge that has been built from academic papers on VR and AR in tourism; if and how VR and AR research intersect, the methodologies used to research VR and AR in tourism, and the emerging contexts in which VR and AR have surfaced in tourism research. By conducting a systematic literature review on VR/AR research in tourism, this work seeks to answer five main research questions: (1) Which tourism sectors and contexts have VR and AR research emerged in?; (2) Which forms of VR and AR have garnered the most attention in tourism research?; (3 & 4) What methodologies/theories are being utilised to research VR and AR in tourism?; and (5) What are the research gaps in VR and AR tourism research? From a synthesis of 46 manuscripts, marketing and tourism education emerged as the most common contexts. However, issues with heterogeneity appeared in terminology usage alongside a lack of theory-based research in VR and AR. Also, gaps were identified where challenges identified revolved around awareness of the technology, usability, and time commitment.

In a post-COVID landscape, building interest and evoking positive emotions toward tourism products are vital for destination recovery. As a result, interest and opportunity for the use of immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) for tourism marketing has intensified. Despite the ubiquity of presence as a concept in VR research, exploring and adapting presence for tourism marketing remains in infancy. In particular, there is still limited understanding of the importance and interplay of the determinants of presence. Through a critical review of presence research in ICT, education, psychology, psychiatry, marketing, and tourism, this paper establishes a comprehensive conceptual framework (named PEI framework) encompassing the determinants (immersion, engagement, sensory fidelity) and consequences of presence (P) on emotional response (E) and behavioural intention (I). This paper also found that presence research remains a disparate body of work. Frameworks and measures from which to bridge disciplines and contexts remain nascent. The interplay between presence determinants and their effects on emotional response, shown to be contextdependant in this review of presence VR research, has yet to be tested or theorized in tourism research. Suggestions for advancing the framework, both context and method-wise, are made for future VR research.

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There is growing recognition for the potential benefits of utilising Virtual Reality (VR) in destination marketing. Conceptual papers suggested the technology's increased immersion, interactivity, and visualisation would translate well into advancing the avenues of information dissemination to potential consumers. However, empirical research on the effects of VR on consumer behaviour is still limited despite rapidly increasing interest from the tourism industry. The purpose of this study is to explore the influence of VR on destination image and perceived destination choice risk for family tourism. Data was collected from 48 members of 12 families who experienced VR through the Samsung Gear VR headset. They were then interviewed as whole family groups. The findings suggest that VR positively influenced both destination image and reduced perceived destination choice risk, with stronger cognitive and affective components of destination image attributed to the immersive experiences. Participants elicited both cognitive and affective components of destination image used in post-visit studies just from the virtual experience pre-visit. Managerial implications include recommendations for VR content tailored to families instead of generic VR experiences as part of DMOs targeting strategies for this segment.