Millennials' virtual reality experiences pre- and post-COVID-19

Drawing upon the stimuli-organism-response framework, we investigate the effects of the possible actions and self-location of virtual reality experiences on perceived enjoyment, affecting millennials' attitude changes and visit intentions. The results show a significant influence of possible actions on perceived enjoyment, leading to attitude change and visit intention, while self-location leads to perceived enjoyment and thus attitude change. Through two independent samples (i.e., pre- and post-COVID-19), we examine the moderating effects of a change in circumstances on structural relationships. Our findings suggest that self-location is critical to changing attitudes toward destinations during the pandemic. Thus, we demonstrate that VR plays a critical role in helping tourism destinations recover and building tourism resilience. This study extends current knowledge of spatial presence by examining the respective roles of self-location and possible actions in tourism destinations.

Automated summary

This study uses the stimuli-organism-response framework to examine the effects of possible actions and self-location in virtual reality experiences on perceived enjoyment, attitude changes, and visit intentions among millennials. The findings indicate that possible actions significantly influence perceived enjoyment and subsequently lead to attitude change and visit intentions, while self-location plays a critical role in affecting attitudes towards destinations, especially during the pandemic. This research extends knowledge of spatial presence by highlighting the importance of self-location and possible actions in tourism destinations.