IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i13p10534-d1186670.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Theoretical Background of Virtual Reality and Its Implications for the Tourism Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Elizaveta Polishchuk

    (Doctoral School of Economic and Regional Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Science, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary)

  • Zoltán Bujdosó

    (Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Economy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary)

  • Youssef El Archi

    (National School of Business and Management of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tangier 90000, Morocco)

  • Brahim Benbba

    (National School of Business and Management of Tangier, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, Tangier 90000, Morocco)

  • Kai Zhu

    (Faculty of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China)

  • Lóránt Dénes Dávid

    (Institute of Rural Development and Sustainable Economy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
    Faculty of Economics and Business, John von Neumann University, 6000 Kecskemét, Hungary)

Abstract

Fueled by the Internet and artificial intelligence, virtual tourism represents an innovative integration of advanced technologies within the tourism industry. The 360 degree panoramic video has emerged as the most prevalent form of virtual tourism both domestically and internationally, owing to its affordability, ease of use, and mild impact. Nevertheless, the advent and proliferation of virtual reality (VR) has unlocked new opportunities in the tourism sector, as VR offers enhanced immersion and a more authentic user experience. Although VR is already employed in various capacities within the industry, it holds the potential to elevate virtual tourism to unprecedented heights. Diverging from prior research, this study examines virtual tourism as a distinct category of tourism that may materialize in the future. A focus group interview and a survey involving 243 respondents were conducted to gauge individuals’ receptiveness to virtual tourism. Participants responded to questions regarding their travel habits and their perceptions of virtual tourism. Data analysis revealed concerns surrounding the technological aspects of virtual tourism: over 20% of respondents were entirely unfamiliar with VR, and a mere 17% utilized the technology. A larger proportion, nearly 40%, lacked awareness of VR’s application in the tourism industry, and only 11.20% had personal experience with it. Concurrently, the Likert scale indicated that respondents recognized the advantages of virtual tourism in comparison to traditional travel, but they expressed skepticism about the technological advancements. Overall, most respondents displayed curiosity and a willingness to explore virtual tourism. These findings hold significant implications for both theoretical understanding and practical implementation within the tourism industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Elizaveta Polishchuk & Zoltán Bujdosó & Youssef El Archi & Brahim Benbba & Kai Zhu & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2023. "The Theoretical Background of Virtual Reality and Its Implications for the Tourism Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-19, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:10534-:d:1186670
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10534/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/13/10534/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Youssef El Archi & Brahim Benbba & Kai Zhu & Zineb El Andaloussi & László Pataki & Lóránt Dénes Dávid, 2023. "Mapping the Nexus between Sustainability and Digitalization in Tourist Destinations: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, June.
    2. repec:dau:papers:123456789/13431 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Gergő Thalmeiner & Sándor Gáspár & Ákos Barta & Zoltán Zéman, 2021. "Application of Fuzzy Logic to Evaluate the Economic Impact of COVID-19: Case Study of a Project-Oriented Travel Agency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Carina Dobre & Andreea-Cristiana Linca & Elena Toma & Adina Iorga, 2024. "Sustainable Development of Rural Mountain Tourism: Insights from Consumer Behavior and Profiles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-29, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:13:p:10534-:d:1186670. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.