We are delighted to share the news that a paper by the faculty`s Senior Research Fellow L. D. Hollebeek and her co-authors has been published in the high (AJG 4) level scientific journal "Journal of Travel Research".
The use of virtual reality (VR) technology is becoming increasingly common in travel and tourism research (e.g., museums offering visitors virtual tours during the pandemic, by virtually introducing potential visitors to a destination, such as the Taj Mahal). Though prior studies have addressed the role of VR in tourism, the dynamics characterizing visitors’ (or tourists’) engagement with VR-based technologies in tourism remains tenuous, as explored in this research.
Linda D. Hollebeek together with co-authors deploys the uses-and-gratifications theory to explore the effect of tourists’ involvement with VR technology and VR identification on their VR-based brand engagement, and its ensuing effect on their VR-based concretion and revisit intent. The data corroborate these proposed associations, suggesting VR technology’s pertinent role in engaging visitors with relevant travel/tourism offerings. The findings also show that the more technology-ready a visitor is, the greater the effect on their VR-based concretion and revisit intent.
Linda D. Hollebeek is a Professor of Marketing at Vilnius University, Tallinn University of Technology, Umea University, Lund University, and the University of Johannesburg. Linda`s research interests include customer/consumer engagement, technology (including social media), value, customer experience, service marketing and branding. Linda D.Hollebeek has been awarded by Clarivate as the world’s most influential researcher. She was awarded the Highly Cited Researcher award in November 2022 for the third consecutive year.
Co-authors of the paper are Raouf Ahmad Rather (Scientific Independent Researcher, Jammu & Kashmir, India), Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro (ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal), Imran Khan (Prince Sultan University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) ir Rajibul Hasan (Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland).
Rather, R. A., Hollebeek, L. D., Loureiro, S. M. C., Khan, I., & Hasan, R. (2023). Exploring Tourists’ Virtual Reality-Based Brand Engagement: A Uses-and-Gratifications Perspective. Journal of Travel Research.
Link to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875231166598