Immersive virtual reality experiences: boosting potential visitor engagement and attractiveness of natural world heritage sites

Abstract

Natural world heritage sites as destinations can have multiple orientations, namely cognitive (learning), affective (hedonism), and sustainability (nature). This study investigates how potential visitors can be attracted to such destinations using virtual reality (VR). Using the Sundarbans mangrove forest (Bangladesh) as a case, and adopting customer engagement and TAM as underlying theories, we collect data from 316 subjects to investigate how ease of use, perceived usefulness, and enjoyment of VR experiences affect intention to visit. In doing so, we reveal that psychological, but not behavioural, engagement serves as a mediator in explaining intention to visit in the context of VR.