Trying before buying: a study on the the adoption of VR-glasses for touristic purposes and travel journalism

Аннотация

VR is a new technology that contains many possibilities in different domains, such as promoting touristic destinations. Due to the increasing competition in the tourism sector, there is a need for innovative technologies to keep attracting customers. The purpose of this article is to examine which factors influence the intention to use VR glasses for touristic purposes, including travel journalism. Within this research The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) has been used. Spatial presence was added as additional factor to the model to measure the presence within the virtual environment. An online questionnaire was set up to question and measure the intentions of respondents between 18 and 24 years old.

Analyses revealed positive impact of different variables on the intentions to use VR glasses for touristic purposes. Hedonic motivation had a positive influence on the intention to wear VR-glasses. In addition, price value and spatial presence appear to have a positive influence on the intention to purchase VR-glasses for touristic purposes. Finally, there were three factors that had a positive influence on the intention to keep using VR-glasses for touristic purposes: social influence, facilitating conditions and spatial presence. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented.