The advent of virtual reality (VR) technologies has revolutionized the way cultural heritage is experienced, studied, and preserved, ushering in a new era where digital and physical realities intertwine seamlessly. Recent research delves into the intricate relationship between virtual environments within the metaverse and their influence on tourist behavior, social sustainability, and the evolving paradigm of cultural consumption. This exploration offers profound insights into not only how VR reshapes tourism but also its broader socio-cultural implications within a digitally connected world.
At the heart of this discussion is the notion of authenticity—a cornerstone in cultural tourism and heritage experiences. The study in question centers predominantly on existential authenticity, which pertains to the personal and subjective sense of genuineness that users derive from their virtual engagement. Unlike objective authenticity, which refers to the factual or original attributes of cultural artifacts, and constructed authenticity, which highlights socially or commercially fabricated versions, existential authenticity captures the emotional and existential connection individuals feel when immersed in virtual heritage spaces. This focus accentuates how VR can evoke deep personal meaning and engagement, thereby driving behaviors such as repeated visits or reuse intentions in virtual environments.
However, the singular focus on existential authenticity delineates the boundaries within which these findings operate, recognizing that other dimensions of authenticity remain underexplored. Future inquiries might fruitfully incorporate objective and constructed authenticity to broaden understanding and capture the full spectrum of authenticity perceptions in VR tourism. Additionally, introducing perceived value as a mediating construct could shed light on how visitors assess and internalize these experiences, influencing their behavioral intentions in more nuanced ways.
One of the prevailing challenges highlighted pertains to the demographic composition of study populations. The current research predominantly involves a specific user base, potentially limiting generalizability across global and age-diverse audiences. Future research would benefit from embracing a more heterogeneous participant mix, for instance, integrating foreign users to unravel cross-cultural variations in virtual tourism behavior. Attention to middle-aged and elderly populations becomes particularly salient, considering their growing engagement with digital platforms. Moreover, teenagers, a demographic increasingly immersed in virtual and augmented realities, represent a critical cohort whose interaction with VR could revolutionize educational paradigms, particularly in heritage learning contexts. Exploring VR’s pedagogical potentials within youth segments could redefine how cultural knowledge is transmitted and absorbed.
The technological dimensions of the study offer fertile ground for expanded exploration, particularly with regard to the platforms utilized. This research examines two applets—Cloud Tour Dunhuang and Cloud Tour Palace—which serve as portals into distinct cultural landscapes. Comparative analyses between these platforms could illuminate user engagement differentials, interface effectiveness, and cultural representation fidelity. Moreover, the differentiation between online VR exhibitions, such as those accessed via web-based applications or mobile platforms, and offline VR systems, which employ immersive head-mounted displays and sophisticated hardware, warrants systematic investigation. Offline VR delivers a fully immersive sensory experience that online platforms may only approximate. Understanding the contrasts, advantages, and limitations of these modalities can guide designers and curators in optimizing virtual heritage delivery.
Significantly, the intersection of VR and gaming opens an innovative frontier for cultural heritage engagement. Games naturally incorporate mechanics, dynamics, and esthetics—the core elements in the MDA (Mechanics-Dynamics-Esthetics) framework—facilitating interactive, compelling, and emotionally resonant experiences. Applying the MDA lens to cultural heritage gaming experiences offers insights into how game design can amplify curiosity, learning, and attachment to heritage content. Furthermore, the Octalysis framework, which elucidates the core drivers of human motivation in gamified systems, presents a strategic tool to decode what sustains user engagement within virtual cultural spaces. Integrating these frameworks underscores how gamification can propel a more profound, sustained connection with cultural heritage in the metaverse.
Social sustainability emerges as a pivotal theme within this research, underscoring VR’s role in fostering inclusive cultural participation and community cohesion. By enabling diverse populations to access, interact with, and contribute to cultural narratives irrespective of geographical constraints, VR embodies a democratizing potential. However, the scope of sustainability extends beyond social dimensions. Future investigations are encouraged to incorporate environmental and economic sustainability lenses, recognizing that virtual technologies impact resource consumption, carbon footprints, and economic ecosystems linked to cultural tourism sectors. Evaluating VR’s role comprehensively across these three pillars promises a holistic understanding of its sustainability footprint.
From a managerial standpoint, insights gleaned from this study carry significant implications for cultural institutions, tourism authorities, and technology developers. Understanding the drivers behind tourist reuse behavior in virtual platforms enables tailored strategies to foster loyalty, enhance user satisfaction, and maximize cultural outreach. These findings also inform the development of more authentic and immersive narratives that resonate deeper with users’ personal identities and values. Such strategic alignment is crucial in cultivating sustained engagement in the metaverse and beyond.
However, translating these insights into practice requires grappling with limitations inherent to the evolving technological landscape. The rapid pace of VR innovation means that tools, interfaces, and user expectations continually shift, posing methodological challenges for longitudinal research. Studies must thus adopt adaptive frameworks that can accommodate emerging technologies and user modalities, ensuring relevance and applicability over time.
Moreover, ethical considerations surface as integral to the deployment and study of VR cultural heritage experiences. Issues around data privacy, digital equity, and the representation of marginalized histories warrant conscientious attention. Deploying VR responsibly necessitates balancing immersive engagement with cultural sensitivity and inclusivity, preventing digital colonization or misrepresentation.
In conclusion, the evolving role of VR in cultural heritage signifies more than technological novelty; it heralds a transformation in how individuals experience, value, and sustain their connections to culture. By centering on existential authenticity and tourist reuse behavior, this research lays a foundational framework that future studies can expand upon, incorporating broader authenticity dimensions, demographic diversity, and sustainability considerations. The amalgamation of VR, gaming frameworks, and cultural content presents a potent nexus for innovation, education, and social impact.
As digital cultures continue to embed themselves more deeply into daily life, the implications of VR experiences will resonate widely across tourism, education, and community development sectors. This trajectory calls for multidisciplinary collaboration among technologists, cultural scholars, psychologists, and sustainability experts to harness VR’s full potential responsibly and creatively. Building upon current research, such synergy will steer the metaverse toward a balanced, enriched cultural odyssey that honors tradition while embracing futuristic possibilities.
Ultimately, this journey through virtual cultural landscapes invites reflection not only on the technological artifacts themselves but also on the changing nature of human connection, identity formation, and the shared stewardship of heritage in a digitally mediated age.
Subject of Research: Impact of virtual reality technologies on tourist reuse behavior and social sustainability in cultural heritage contexts.
Article Title: Cultural odyssey in the metaverse: investigating the impact of virtual technologies on tourist reuse behavior and social sustainability.
Article References:
Jiang, C., Phoong, S.W. & Moghavvemi, S. Cultural odyssey in the metaverse: investigating the impact of virtual technologies on tourist reuse behavior and social sustainability. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 12, 866 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05132-z
Image Credits: AI Generated
