Virtual Tourism Experiences and Mental Restoration

Gabby Walters*, Chelsea Gill, Le Diem Quynh Pham, Sebastian Filep

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)
696 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Virtual reality is providing new opportunities for health and well-being, organizational learning, and tourism management. The study reported in this paper aims to examine whether engaging in a virtual reality tourism experience could function as a restorative intervention strategy to enhance mental well-being of employees in the workplace. The study employed a lab-based pre–post experimental design to test the effectiveness of a virtual reality tourism experience, involving a nature-based marine setting, to enhance mental restoration and reduce mental fatigue. The results show that 3 minutes of a virtual tourism experience can lead to enhanced concentration while boosting the mental well-being of employees, while, at the same time, providing destinations with an opportunity to promote “real” experiences.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)564-569
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
Volume48
Issue number3
Early online date31 Jul 2022
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 31 Jul 2022

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