Mortality threats and technology effects on tourism

Abstract

According to the Worldometer statistics, in April 2020 the number of Covid-19-related deaths has surpassed 190,000, creating a general fear of death in people (Long, 2020). Not surprisingly, this has had a tremendous effect on tourism. It is estimated that it will take to tourism almost one year to recover from these losses (Faus, 2020). While it is impossible for tourists to visit museums, parks, or other touristic destinations, because of the Covid-19 lockdown policies, we suggest that there is still a light of hope: virtual tours. Previous literature on tourism shows that the use of web-based virtual tours improves consumer perceptions of the destination before the actual (physical) experience (Cho, Wang, & Fesenmaier, 2002). Tussyadiah, Wang, Jung, & tom Dieck (2018) investigated the use of virtual reality in tourism (e.g., MET, MoMA, Uffizi) and found that it has a positive effect on the intention to physically visit the place. The present research aims to show a first evidence of what is the effect of virtual tours (interactive vs. non interactive) on willingness to donate to the museum, willingness to pay for virtual tours when, as in these times, consumers not only cannot visit a place, but they are also afraid to go out. Mortality threat remains the biggest fear humans face (Becker, 1973). Research on Terror Management Theory (Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski, 1991) suggests that mortality threat affects behavior in several ways: by lowering life satisfaction, wellbeing, or meaning in life (Burke, Martens, & Faucher, 2010). However, being exposed to something that is important to one's selfesteem can provide relief to mortality threats (Pyszczynski, Greenberg, & Solomon, 1999). Moreover, people have more positive attitudes towards brands or products that provide them relief from mortality threats (e.g., Sarial-Abi, Vohs, Hamilton, & Ulqinaku, 2017). We extend these findings in the tourism context, because mortality threats can prevent people from traveling (Fennell, 2017). Moreover, providing solutions to tourism during a struggling, uncertain, and threatening time is crucial and critical (Ritchie & Jiang, 2019). Adding to previous research on these topics, we propose virtual tours with a greater element of innovation (interactivity) as a way to address the threatened tourists. If technology innovation (as the bases of interactive virtual tours) adoption is important to one's self-esteem, then, given the importance of the latter one to mitigate mortality threats, interactive virtual tours should result in more positive attitudes towards the museum offering that. Fig. 1 shows our conceptual model.

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