Abstract
Virtual tourism aided by revolutionary technologies—including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and livestreaming (LS)—has been the topic of increased discussion among practitioners and academics as an innovative yet sustainable means of achieving tourism recovery. The emergence of virtual tourism provides a means of traveling and explorations of new places and has opened the possibilities for people to experience places and activities they may not have had the opportunity to have before. With these cutting-edge technologies, consumers’ wellbeing is creatively achieved and enhanced. Given the scarcity of literature on this topic, this chapter elaborates on the scope of virtual tourism, provides exemplary cases of its applications, synthesizes existing knowledge on this topic, and postulates new perspectives and priorities for future research endeavors. Furthermore, this chapter thoroughly examines the intricate connections between virtual tourism and consumer wellbeing, which has attracted considerable attention both in practice and in academia.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ahani, A., Nilashi, M., Ibrahim, O., Sanzogni, L., & Weaven, S. (2019). Market segmentation and travel choice prediction in Spa hotels through TripAdvisor’s online reviews. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 80, 52–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.01.003
Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C.-Y., Imani, V., Saffari, M., Griffiths, M. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2022). The fear of COVID-19 scale: Development and initial validation. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(3), 1537–1545.
Allam, Z., & Jones, D. S. (2021). Future (post-COVID) digital, smart and sustainable cities in the wake of 6G: Digital twins, immersive realities and new urban economies. Land Use Policy, 101, 105201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.105201
Antonioli, M., Blake, C., & Sparks, K. (2014). Augmented reality applications in education. The Journal of Technology Studies, 40(1/2), 96–107. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43604312
Arber, S., Fenn, K., & Meadows, R. (2014). Subjective financial well-being, income and health inequalities in mid and later life in Britain. Social Science & Medicine, 100, 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.10.016
Asadzadeh, A., Samad-Soltani, T., & Rezaei-Hachesu, P. (2021). Applications of virtual and augmented reality in infectious disease epidemics with a focus on the COVID-19 outbreak. Informatics in Medicine Unlocked, 24, 100579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imu.2021.100579
Balderjahn, I., Lee, M. S., Seegebarth, B., & Peyer, M. (2020). A sustainable pathway to consumer wellbeing. The role of anticonsumption and consumer empowerment. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 54(2), 456–488.
Bell, I. R., Cunningham, V., Caspi, O., Meek, P., & Ferro, L. (2004). Development and validation of a new global well-being outcomes rating scale for integrative medicine research. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-4-1
Bin, S., Masood, S., & Jung, Y. (2020). Chapter Twenty - Virtual and augmented reality in medicine. In D. D. Feng (Ed.), Biomedical information technology (2nd ed., pp. 673–686). Academic.
Buhalis, D., & Leung, R. (2018). Smart hospitality—Interconnectivity and interoperability towards an ecosystem. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 71, 41–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2017.11.011
Burdea, G. C., & Coiffet, P. (2017). Virtual reality technology. Wiley-IEEE Press.
Chen, J. S., Prebensen, N., & Huan, T. C. (2008). Determining the motivation of wellness travelers. Anatolia, 19(1), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2008.9687056
Cooke, P. J., Melchert, T. P., & Connor, K. (2016). Measuring well-being: A review of instruments. The Counseling Psychologist, 44(5), 730–757. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000016633507
Costa, J., Montenegro, M., & Gomes, J. (2018). What challenges and opportunities will lead to success? Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 10(6), 631–634. https://doi.org/10.1108/whatt-08-2018-0053
Deng, Z. M., Benckendorff, P., & Wang, J. (2019, January 30–February 01). Blended tourism experiencescape: A conceptualisation of live-streaming tourism. Paper presented at the eTourism Conference (ENTER) - eTourism - Towards a Sustainable Digital Society, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Fernández Fuster, L. (1967). Teoria y tecnica del turismo. Ed. Nacional.
Foster, L. T., Keller, C. P., McKee, B., & Ostry, A. (2011). British Columbia atlas of wellness (2nd ed.). Western Geographical Press.
Frey, B. S., & Briviba, A. (2021). A policy proposal to deal with excessive cultural tourism. European Planning Studies, 29(4), 601–618. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2021.1903841
Gilal, F. G., Zhang, J., Paul, J., & Gilal, N. G. (2019). The role of self-determination theory in marketing science: An integrative review and agenda for research. European Management Journal, 37(1), 29–44.
Hamari, J. (2015). Why do people buy virtual goods? Attitude toward virtual good purchases versus game enjoyment. International Journal of Information Management, 35(3), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.01.007
He, Z. Y., Wu, L., & Li, X. (2018). When art meets tech: The role of augmented reality in enhancing museum experiences and purchase intentions. Tourism Management, 68, 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.03.003
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford happiness questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(7), 1073–1082. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00213-6
Howells, A., Ivtzan, I., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2016). Putting the ‘app’ in happiness: A randomised controlled trial of a smartphone-based mindfulness intervention to enhance wellbeing. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(1), 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-014-9589-1
Hu, R., Wang, C., Zhang, T., Nguyen, T., Shapoval, V., & Zhai, L. (2021). Applying augmented reality (AR) technologies in theatrical performances in theme parks: A transcendent experience perspective. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, 100889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100889
Hung, S.-W., Chang, C.-W., & Ma, Y.-C. (2021). A new reality: Exploring continuance intention to use mobile augmented reality for entertainment purposes. Technology in Society, 67, 101757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101757
Itani, O. S., & Hollebeek, L. D. (2021). Light at the end of the tunnel: Visitors’ virtual reality (versus in-person) attraction site tour-related behavioral intentions during and post-COVID-19. Tourism Management, 84, 104290. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104290
Jia, Y., Ouyang, J., & Guo, Q. (2021). When rich pictorial information backfires: The interactive effects of pictures and psychological distance on evaluations of tourism products. Tourism Management, 85, 104315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104315
Kim, M. J., & Hall, C. M. (2019). A hedonic motivation model in virtual reality tourism: Comparing visitors and non-visitors. International Journal of Information Management, 46, 236–249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.11.016
King, S. C., Snow, J., Meiselman, H. L., Sainsbury, J., Carr, B. T., McCafferty, D., Serrano, D., Gillette, M., Millard, L., & Li, Q. (2015). Development of a questionnaire to measure consumer wellness associated with foods: The WellSense Profile™. Food Quality and Preference, 39, 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2014.06.003
Koh, E. (2020). The end of over-tourism? Opportunities in a post-Covid-19 world. International Journal of Tourism Cities, 6(4), 1015–1023. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-04-2020-0080
Köse, H., & Güner-Yildiz, N. (2021). Augmented reality (AR) as a learning material in special needs education. Education and Information Technologies, 26(2), 1921–1936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10326-w
Krieger, T., Zimmermann, J., Huffziger, S., Ubl, B., Diener, C., Kuehner, C., & Grosse Holtforth, M. (2014). Measuring depression with a well-being index: Further evidence for the validity of the WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) as a measure of the severity of depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 156, 240–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.12.015
Lau, A. (2020). New technologies used in COVID-19 for business survival: Insights from the hotel sector in China. Information Technology & Tourism, 22(4), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40558-020-00193-z
Lee, K. (2012). Augmented reality in education and training. TechTrends, 56(2), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-012-0559-3
Li, P. Q., & Kovacs, J. F. (2021). Creative tourism and creative spectacles in China. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 49, 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2021.08.023
Li, Q., Guan, X., Wu, P., Wang, X., Zhou, L., Tong, Y., Ren, R., Leung, K. S. M., Lau, E. H. Y., Wong, J. Y., Xing, X., Xiang, N., Wu, Y., Li, C., Chen, Q., Li, D., Liu, T., Zhao, J., Liu, M., … Feng, Z. (2020). Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus–infected pneumonia. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(13), 1199–1207.
Li, Y., Song, H., & Guo, R. (2021). A study on the causal process of virtual reality tourism and its attributes in terms of their effects on subjective well-being during COVID-19. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031019
Liu, H., Zhang, Y., Si, W., Xie, X., Zhu, Y., & Zhu, S. C. (2018, May 21–25). Interactive robot knowledge patching using augmented reality. Paper presented at the 2018 IEEE international conference on robotics and automation (ICRA).
Livingston, M. A., Rosenblum, L. J., Julier, S. J., Brown, D., Baillot, Y., Swan, I., Joseph L. Gabbard Hix, D. (2002). An augmented reality system for military operations in urban terrain.
Loureiro, S. M. C., Guerreiro, J., & Ali, F. (2020). 20 years of research on virtual reality and augmented reality in tourism context: A text-mining approach. Tourism Management, 77, 104028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.104028
Lowood, H. E. (2021). Virtual reality. In Encyclopedia britannica.
Mackenbach, J. P., Kunst, A. E., Cavelaars, A. E. J. M., Groenhof, F., & Geurts, J. J. M. (1997). Socioeconomic inequalities in morbidity and mortality in western Europe. The Lancet, 349(9066), 1655–1659. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(96)07226-1
Mastro, A. D., Monaco, F., & Benyoucef, Y. (2021). A multi-user virtual reality experience for space missions. Journal of Space Safety Engineering, 8(2), 134–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsse.2021.03.002
Meiselman, H. L. (2016). Quality of life, well-being and wellness: Measuring subjective health for foods and other products. Food Quality and Preference, 54, 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2016.05.009
Michalos, G., Karagiannis, P., Makris, S., Tokçalar, Ö., & Chryssolouris, G. (2016). Augmented reality (AR) applications for supporting human-robot interactive cooperation. Procedia CIRP, 41, 370–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2015.12.005
Mueller, H., & Kaufmann, E. L. (2001). Wellness tourism: Market analysis of a special health tourism segment and implications for the hotel industry. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 7(1), 5–17.
Myers, J. E., Luecht, R. M., & Sweeney, T. J. (2004). The factor structure of wellness: Reexamining theoretical and empirical models underlying the wellness evaluation of lifestyle (WEL) and the five-factor Wei. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 36(4), 194–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2004.11909742
Netto, A. P. (2009). In J. Tribe (Ed.), What is tourism? Definitions, theoretical phases and principles (pp. 43–61). Channel View Publications.
Ong, S. (2020). Covid-19’s AI revolution. New Scientist, 248(3303), 44–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0262-4079(20)31808-X
Ong, S. K., Yew, A. W. W., Thanigaivel, N. K., & Nee, A. Y. C. (2020). Augmented reality-assisted robot programming system for industrial applications. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 61, 101820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcim.2019.101820
Patel, M. K., Bergeri, I., Bresee, J. S., Cowling, B. J., Crowcroft, N. S., Fahmy, K., Hirve, S., Kang, G., Katz, M. A., Lanata, C. F., L’Azou Jackson, M., Joshi, S., Lipsitch, M., Mwenda, J. M., Nogareda, F., Orenstein, W. A., Ortiz, J. R., Pebody, R., Schrag, S. J., … Feikin, D. R. (2021). Evaluation of post-introduction COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness: Summary of interim guidance of the World Health Organization. Vaccine, 39(30), 4013–4024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.05.099
Pine, B. J., Pine, J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1999). The experience economy: Work is theatre & every business a stage. Harvard Business Press.
Rahimi, R., Hassan, A., & Tekin, O. (2020). Augmented reality apps for tourism destination promotion. In Destination management and marketing: Breakthroughs in research and practice (pp. 1066–1077). IGI Global.
Raptis, G. E., Fidas, C., & Avouris, N. (2018). Effects of mixed-reality on players’ behaviour and immersion in a cultural tourism game: A cognitive processing perspective. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 114, 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2018.02.003
Rath, T., & Harter, J. K. (2010). Wellbeing: The five essential elements. Gallup Press.
Rauschnabel, P. A., Babin, B. J., tom Dieck, M. C., Krey, N., & Jung, T. (2022). What is augmented reality marketing? Its definition, complexity, and future. Journal of Business Research, 142, 1140–1150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.084
Reiner, A. J., Vasquez, H. M., Jamieson, G. A., & Hollands, J. G. (2022). Comparing an augmented reality navigation display to an electronic map for military reconnaissance. Ergonomics, 65(1), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2021.1917668
Roscoe, L. J. (2009). Wellness: A review of theory and measurement for counselors. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(2), 216–226. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2009.tb00570.x
Schiopu, A. F., Hornoiu, R. I., Padurean, M. A., & Nica, A.-M. (2021). Virus tinged? Exploring the facets of virtual reality use in tourism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Telematics and Informatics, 60, 101575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101575
Shen, S., Xu, K., Sotiriadis, M., & Wang, Y. (2022). Exploring the factors influencing the adoption and usage of augmented reality and virtual reality applications in tourism education within the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 30, 100373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2022.100373
Sirgy, M. J., & Lee, D. J. (1996). Setting socially responsible marketing objectives: A quality-of-life approach. European Journal of Marketing, 30(5), 20–34.
Smith, M., & Kelly, C. (2006). Wellness tourism. Tourism Recreation Research, 31(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2006.11081241
Sutherland, J., Belec, J., Sheikh, A., Chepelev, L., Althobaity, W., Chow, B. J. W., Mitsouras, D., Christensen, A., Rybicki, F. J., & La Russa, D. J. (2019). Applying modern virtual and augmented reality technologies to medical images and models. Journal of Digital Imaging, 32(1), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-018-0122-7
Thomas, M. J., Lal, V., Baby, A. K., Rabeeh Vp, M., James, A., & Raj, A. K. (2021). Can technological advancements help to alleviate COVID-19 pandemic? A review. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 117, 103787. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2021.103787
Thorburn, E. D. (2014). Social media, subjectivity, and surveillance: Moving on from occupy, the rise of live streaming video. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 11(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2013.827356
Tomyn, A. J., & Cummins, R. A. (2011). The subjective wellbeing of high-school students: Validating the personal wellbeing index—School children. Social Indicators Research, 101(3), 405–418.
Trilling, L. (1972). Sincerity and authenticity. Harvard University Press.
UNWTO. (2008). Glossary of tourism terms. Retrieved from https://www.unwto.org/glossary-tourism-terms
Uysal, M., Sirgy, M. J., Woo, E., & Kim, H. (2016). Quality of life (QOL) and well-being research in tourism. Tourism Management, 53, 244–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.07.013
Wang, C., Horby, P. W., Hayden, F. G., & Gao, G. F. (2020). A novel coronavirus outbreak of global health concern. The Lancet, 395(10223), 470–473.
Wang, N. (1999). Rethinking authenticity in tourism experience. Annals of Tourism Research, 26(2), 349–370. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(98)00103-0
WashPostPR. (2018). The Washington Post releases augmented reality experience highlighting UNESCO World Heritage sites. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2018/05/03/the-washington-post-releases-augmented-reality-experience-highlighting-unesco-world-heritage-sites/
WHO. (1997). Measuring quality of life: The World Health Organization quality of life instruments. In R. I. Brown (Ed.), Quality of life for people with disabilities: Models, research and practice (pp. 116–150). Nelson Thornes.
Wohlgenannt, I., Simons, A., & Stieglitz, S. (2020). Virtual reality. Business & Information Systems Engineering, 62(5), 455–461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-020-00658-9
Xie, C., Yu, J., Huang, S., & Zhang, J. (2022). Tourism e-commerce live streaming: Identifying and testing a value-based marketing framework from the live streamer perspective. Tourism Management, 91, 104513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104513
Zhang, S.-N., Li, Y.-Q., Ruan, W.-Q., & Liu, C.-H. (2022). Would you enjoy virtual travel? The characteristics and causes of virtual tourists’ sentiment under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Management, 88, 104429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104429
Zhao, C., & Wei, H. (2019). The highest hierarchy of consumption: A literature review of consumer well-being. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4), 135–149.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Glossary
- Virtual reality
-
A 3D simulation that features vivid and lifelike digital graphics to activate all sensory receptors and consequently captivate the user in an immersive experience.
- Augmented reality
-
A technology that seamlessly overlays and integrates digital media onto the physical realm to relay information and interact with users.
- Wellbeing
-
A multi-dimensional concept that describes a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Zhang, T.(., Hacikara, A. (2023). Virtual Tourism and Consumer Wellbeing: A Critical Review, Practices, and New Perspectives. In: Uysal, M., Sirgy, M.J. (eds) Handbook of Tourism and Quality-of-Life Research II. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31513-8_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31513-8_37
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-31512-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-31513-8
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)