The Use of Virtual Reality Technology in Tourism: the Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Choice of Destination

This work is devoted to the issue of the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in tourism marketing. Nowadays due to the expansion of travel service market and the increasing competition among travel agencies, destination marketing organizations are forced to introduce the latest technologies to attract more customers. Virtual reality has become one of the technologies that can offer the consumer the opportunity to visit the place without actually being in it. That is why marketers and scientists are exploring virtual reality and virtual reality factors that can influence the purchase of the tour. However, the cumulative influence of several factors has not been considered by scientists. In addition, there is a scientific discussion about the impact of virtual reality factors on the intention to visit the site depending on different VR-devices. To investigate this problem, a survey was carried out. The empirical basis of the study was 162 people, selected on the basis of the interest in tourism and the intention to travel in the coming year. The results of the study suggest that, in combination, virtual reality factors have a greater impact on the intention to visit the site than on the segregation. Moreover, various virtual reality devices have the same effect on the intention to visit the site. However, the average estimates of the factors in the helmet of virtual reality are higher than estimates of the factors in virtual reality glasses. Based on the analysis of the literature and the results obtained, recommendations regarding the use of virtual reality technology for promotion in tourism were developed. The deliverables may be used by market research specialists and destination marketing organizations to justify the use of virtual reality as a marketing tool and for the development of the VR content and VR applications.