Tourists’ virtual reality adoption: an exploratory study from Lake District National Park

ABSTRACT

Virtual reality (VR) transforms the way destinations market their tourism offerings. To fully understand the opportunities of a technology, initial research is required assessing user adoption. However, empirical research and particularly exploratory qualitative research on VR adoption in tourism context is limited. Therefore, this study uses an exploratory interview approach with 35 participants near Lake District National Park, UK. Using thematic analysis, this study explores factors that influence VR adoption as well as the influencing factors on tourists’ behavioural intentions. This study adds to academia by qualitatively exploring the adoption of a scarcely researched technology within the tourism context.

KEYWORDS:

• Virtual reality (VR)
• adoption
• tourism
• Lake District

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dario tom Dieck

Dario tom Dieck is senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. He has published in the areas of augmented reality, virtual reality, technology adoption and hospitality innovation.

M. Claudia tom Dieck

M. Claudia tom Dieck is a researcher at the Creative Augmented and Virtual Reality Hub at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her research interests include immersive technologies in the hospitality and tourism context. She has published in journals such as Tourism Management, Computers in Human Behavior and Journal of Travel Research.

Timothy Jung

Timothy Jung is Director of Augmented and Virtual Reality Hub, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is the Chair of the International Augmented and Virtual Reality Conference and his research interests include augmented reality, virtual reality and immersive technologies.

Natasha Moorhouse

Natasha Moorhouse is a PhD researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University. At the Creative Augmented and Virtual Reality Hub she focuses on the use of immersive technologies for shopping experiences.