Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name: Remus-Ion Hornoiu
Author-Name-First: Remus-Ion
Author-Name-Last: Hornoiu
Author-Email: remus.hornoiu@com.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Author-Name: Delia Popescu
Author-Name-First: Delia
Author-Name-Last: Popescu
Author-Email: delia.popescu@com.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Author-Name: Ionuţ-Andrei Militaru
Author-Name-First: Ionuţ-Andrei
Author-Name-Last: Militaru
Author-Email:  militaruionut21@stud.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Author-Name: Angelina De Pascale
Author-Name-First: Angelina De
Author-Name-Last: Pascale
Author-Email: angela.depascale@unime.it
Author-Workplace-Name: University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Author-Name: Luciana-Floriana Poenaru
Author-Name-First: Luciana-Floriana
Author-Name-Last: Poenaru
Author-Email: luciana.holostencu@com.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Author-Name: Marius Lucian Breabăn
Author-Name-First: Marius Lucian
Author-Name-Last: Breabăn
Author-Email: breabanmarius22@stud.ase.ro
Author-Workplace-Name: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania
Title: Beyond the screen: how virtual reality shapes sustainable behaviours in ecotourism through uses and gratifications theory
Journal: CACTUS - The Tourism Journal for Research, Education, Culture and Soul
Abstract: This study examines the relationships between ascribed responsibility, uses and gratifications, behavioural involvement, and visit intentions among Sicilian tourists using virtual reality (VR) to explore Romanian rural ecotourism destinations. Utilizing the Uses and Gratifications theory, it investigates how VR content's informativeness, playfulness, and social interactivity impact user engagement and behavioural intentions. Findings reveal that higher ascribed responsibility enhances gratifications from VR experiences, which increases behavioural involvement, essential for ecotourism. However, ascribed responsibility alone does not directly influence visit intentions, indicating the role of additional factors. A significant contribution of this research is the identification of a serial mediation model where uses and gratifications and behavioural involvement totally mediate the ascribed responsibility-visit intention relationship. This model highlights the complex interplay between cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses, demonstrating that ascribed responsibility enhances uses and gratifications, leading to increased behavioural involvement and, ultimately, visit intentions. The study extends the Uses and Gratifications theory into VR and ecotourism, emphasizing environmental responsibility in media engagement. Practical implications include strategies for tourism marketers to foster environmental responsibility and for VR developers to create engaging, informative, and interactive experiences. Policymaker scan use these insights to promote sustainable tourism through supportive VR content development.
Keywords: Virtual reality, ecotourism, ascribed responsibility, uses and gratifications, behavioural involvement, serial mediation, tourist behaviour
Classification-JEL: L83, Z32
Creation-Date: 2024
Year: 2024
Volume: 29
Issue: 1
File-URL: https://cactus-journal-of-tourism.ase.ro/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/vol6_no1_2024_art4_II.2-Hornoiu-et-al.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bum:cactus:cactus-2024-3