Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore from a place attachment (PA) theory perspective the extent to which and how, a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) experience enhances tourists’ attachment level on-site at a rural destination.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applied an exploratory mixed method approach. Respondents were tourists visiting the Lake District National Park who were asked to try a VR experience. In Study 1, interviews were conducted to explore new themes and to develop an enhanced PA framework in VR. Study 1 confirmed existing variables from the literature and highlighted new variables (themes) to be included in the new framework on how PA is formed. In Study 2, surveys were conducted, and the proposed framework analyzed using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). To fully understand how VR had an impact on enhancing PA, the moderating effect of tourists’ pre-existing PA was considered.

Findings

The findings revealed “Accessibility”, “Memories” and “Increased Place Knowledge” as new themes (variables) and confirmed that these and established variables “Aesthetics” and “Presence” enhance PA, leading to increased loyalty. Significant moderating effects of existing PA were found.

Practical implications

VR serves as a complementary and substitutional tool for tourism. Tailored VR experiences for diverse tourist needs may enhance destination marketing and competitiveness. For tourists with low PA, destinations should focus on promoting activities and highlights to enhance engagement and the experiential understanding of the destination. For tourists with high PA, VR experiences should focus on providing a comprehensive view of the destination and unveiling new places. In both cases, the VR experience leads to deeper engagement with the destination and an increase in PA.

Originality/value

Research on the impact of VR on tourists’ PA is limited. To address this gap, this study’s theoretical contribution lies in developing and testing a PA framework within a VR and tourism context. This also includes the validation of new measurement items developed in relation to the new themes.

中文翻译：

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地方依恋理论与虚拟现实：乡村旅游目的地案例

目的

本研究的目的是从地方依恋（PA）理论的角度探讨完全沉浸式虚拟现实（VR）体验在多大程度上以及如何增强游客在乡村目的地的现场依恋水平。

设计/方法论/途径

本研究采用了探索性混合方法。受访者是参观湖区国家公园的游客，他们被要求尝试 VR 体验。在研究 1 中，进行访谈以探索新主题并开发 VR 中的增强 PA 框架。研究 1 确认了文献中的现有变量，并强调了要纳入关于 PA 如何形成的新框架中的新变量（主题）。在研究 2 中，进行了调查，并使用结构方程模型 (PLS-SEM) 分析了所提出的框架。为了充分了解 VR 如何对增强 PA 产生影响，我们考虑了游客先前存在的 PA 的调节作用。

发现

研究结果揭示了“可访问性”、“记忆”和“增加地方知识”作为新主题（变量），并证实这些和既定变量“美学”和“存在感”增强了 PA，从而提高了忠诚度。现有 PA 具有显着的调节作用。

实际影响

VR作为旅游的补充和替代工具。针对不同游客需求的定制 VR 体验可能会增强目的地营销和竞争力。对于低 PA 的游客，目的地应重点宣传活动和亮点，以增强参与度和对目的地的体验式了解。对于PA高的游客来说，VR体验应该侧重于提供目的地的全面视图并揭示新的地方。在这两种情况下，VR 体验都会导致人们更深入地参与目的地并提高 PA。

原创性/价值

关于 VR 对游客 PA 影响的研究有限。为了弥补这一差距，本研究的理论贡献在于在 VR 和旅游背景下开发和测试 PA 框架。这还包括验证与新主题相关的新测量项目。