New realities: a systematic literature review on virtual reality and augmented reality in tourism research

TLDR

Growing interest in VR and AR in tourism has not yet been systematically synthesized, leaving unclear how the research intersects, what methodologies are used, and which contexts have emerged. The study aims to answer five research questions—about emerging sectors, dominant VR/AR forms, employed methodologies/theories, and research gaps—through a systematic literature review. The authors performed a systematic literature review of VR/AR tourism research to address these questions. The review of 46 manuscripts found marketing and tourism education as the most common contexts, highlighted terminology heterogeneity and a lack of theory‑based work, and identified gaps related to technology awareness, usability, and time commitment.

Abstract

Despite the growing interest and discussions on Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in tourism, we do not yet know systematically the knowledge that has been built from academic papers on VR and AR in tourism; if and how VR and AR research intersect, the methodologies used to research VR and AR in tourism, and the emerging contexts in which VR and AR have surfaced in tourism research. By conducting a systematic literature review on VR/AR research in tourism, this work seeks to answer five main research questions: (1) Which tourism sectors and contexts have VR and AR research emerged in? ; (2) Which forms of VR and AR have garnered the most attention in tourism research? ; (3 and 4) What methodologies/theories are being utilized to research VR and AR in tourism? ; and (5) What are the research gaps in VR and AR tourism research? From a synthesis of 46 manuscripts, marketing and tourism education emerged as the most common contexts. However, issues with heterogeneity appeared in terminology usage alongside a lack of theory-based research in VR and AR. Also, gaps were identified where challenges identified revolved around awareness of the technology, usability, and time commitment.