Exploring the Tourists’ Perception of Using Virtual Reality as a Substitute for Tourism Experiences

Abstract

During this period of technological advancement, the number, as well as the significance of applications of Virtual Reality in the tourism sector is sure to increase as the technology continues to evolve. This will result in new questions and challenges that will need to be addressed as a consequence. The advancement of cutting-edge immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR) is among the technologies that have attracted significant attention in recent times as one of the most promising technologies. One significant use of virtual reality is its ability to provide virtual experiences that tourists might consider as substitutes for tourism. Virtual reality offers tourists a taste of the tourism experience and provides them with trustworthy and rich information that will enhance the inspiration and information phases of the customer journey. As a result, it is crucial to probe into the perceptions of tourists in relation to the use of these technologies, as well as the factors that influence their perceptions with regard to the use of such technologies as substitute for tourism experience. The literature review in chapter two begins with an overview of the origin and history of virtual reality technology and it continues by showing virtual reality implication in the tourism context. An overview of previous research on tourists' perceptions and influencing factors for using virtual reality as a substitute for tourism follows. Further, a brief explanation about the Self-determination theory that will be used in order to conduct the research. Chapter three will provide a rationale for the methodological approach that will be used to conduct this research in order to satisfy the study's aim and objectives. The first part of the methodology chapter in the study deals with the research philosophy that underlies this study. It is then decided which research method is to be used based on the philosophy, followed by a justification for which data collection method is to be chosen. Detailed information on the sampling methods is given in the section on data collection. Lastly, data analysis methods, ethical considerations. The results in chapter four will include the presenting and analysing of the data collected from interviews. The data organization will be achieved through the division of the chapter into two main sections and each section is related to one of the research objectives. In each section, will be included the main themes that were identified. After that a section for discussion regarding the research limitations as well as suggestions for improvement will be provided. Lastly in chapter 5, the research concludes with a description of the research question, the method that was used to answer the question, as well as some of the research findings.