Virtual Tourism Experiences and Mental Restoration

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

Research output: Journal article publicationJournal articleAcademic researchpeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

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
JournalJournal of Hospitality and Tourism Research
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2022

Keywords

  • mental restoration
  • virtual reality
  • virtual tourism experiences
  • wellbeing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management

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