Exploring Consumer Behavior in Virtual Reality Tourism Using an Extended Stimulus-Organism-Response Model

Abstract

Although virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology in tourism, little research has been conducted on what factors make consumers visit destinations presented by VR. To address this gap in the literature, this study developed a theoretical framework including authentic experience, cognitive and affective responses, attachment, and visit intention with VR tourism using a stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory. The results revealed significant impacts of authentic experience on cognitive and affective responses, indicating that authentic experience is an important factor in VR tourism. The study identified cognitive and affective responses as significant mediators in predicting attachment and visit intention. The results demonstrated that the intention to visit places shown in VR tourism was influenced by attachment to VR. Cognitive response had a stronger influence than affective response on the intention to visit a destination in VR. This study sheds light on why potential tourists visit destinations shown in VR.

The Influence of Mixed Reality on Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty in Cultural Heritage Attractions: A Brand Equity Perspective

“…Brand equity has been an important marketing concept since the 1980s [48] and has recently become an increasingly important concept for cultural organizations [49]. Many studies on customer-based brand equity (CBBE) rely on the models created by Aaker [21] and Keller [22,50].…”

Exploring the implications of wearable virtual reality technology for museum visitors' experience: A cluster analysis

“…Recently, the launch of next‐generation wearable VR devices, such as smart watches, smart glasses (e.g., Google Glass), and HMDs (e.g., Samsung Gear VR) have increased the opportunities to create highly enjoyable and immersive experiences, thus enabling art galleries, cultural heritage sites, and theme parks to exploit them to elicit emotional reactions from visitors and render their visit experience memorable (Jung et al, ; Rincon, Tommasini, Rainoldi, & Egger, ; tom Dieck, Jung, & Han, ; tom Dieck, tom Dieck, Jung, & Moorhouse, ; Wei et al, ). A wearable device is able to extend the sensory, cognitive, and emotional status of its user while shaping the way by which tourists orientate, interact, and control their interactions within their experience setting (Kim, Lee, & Jung, ; Tussyadiah, Wang, & Jia, ).…”

Traveling Before Traveling: Virtual Reality Marketing in Support of Greater Tourism Sustainability

“…factors that make consumers develop a desire to visit destinations presented by VR. In an attempt to address such a gap in literature, several studies developed a theoretical framework comprising the authentic experience, affective and cognitive responses, attachment, and visit intention with the VR tourism using a stimulus-organism-response (hereinafter SOR) theory (Kim, Lee and Jung, 2018). A key stream of research has successfully managed to apply experiential marketing perceptions in the context of tourism (Ritchie, Tung and Ritchie, 2011) and destination marketing (Ye and Tussyadiah, 2011).…”