International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management最新文献

Purpose

The aims of this study are to explore how the experience of “visiting” a destination in a virtual reality (VR) technology environment influences destination image and visit intentions and to evaluate the moderating effects of the immersion level of the technology, destination familiarity and VR sickness.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical study was conducted in a laboratory, using two types of immersive VR technologies. The data, collected through a personal survey of 144 participants, were analysed using PLS-SEM.

Findings

The results indicated that sense of presence is a crucial determinant of the user’s experience, which in turn contributed positively to destination image and visit intentions. VR sickness was observed to moderate the relationship between sense of presence and user experience, especially at low immersion levels. Destination familiarity did not influence the model’s relationships.

Practical implications

The findings lead us to propose that tourism destination managers: use immersive VR technologies in their marketing strategies; in these VR scenarios enhance the user’s sense of presence and experience and implement segmentation strategies.

Originality/value

This is one of the first works to empirically analyse how the customer’s experience of immersive technologies affects destination image and visit intentions. The study also evaluates three moderating effects: the effects of the level of immersion evoked by the technology, and destination familiarity, on the model’s relationships, and the effects of a negative aspect of the technology, VR sickness, on the relationship between sense of presence and the customer experience.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the importance of image data in hotel selection-recommendation using different types of cognitive features and to explore whether there are reinforcing effects among these cognitive features.

Design/methodology/approach

This study represents user-generated images “cognitive” in a knowledge graph through multidimensional (shallow, middle and deep) analysis. This approach highlights the clustering of hotel destination imagery.

Findings

This study develops a novel hotel selection-recommendation model based on image sentiment and attribute representation within the construction of a knowledge graph. Furthermore, the experimental results show an enhanced effect between different types of cognitive features and hotel selection-recommendation.

Practical implications

This study enhances hotel recommendation accuracy and user satisfaction by incorporating cognitive and emotional image attributes into knowledge graphs using advanced machine learning and computer vision techniques.

Social implications

This study advances the understanding of user-generated images’ impact on hotel selection, helping users make better decisions and enabling marketers to understand users’ preferences and trends.

Originality/value

This research is one of the first to propose a new method for exploring the cognitive dimensions of hotel image data. Furthermore, multi-dimensional cognitive features can effectively enhance the selection-recommendation process, and the authors have proposed a novel hotel selection-recommendation model.

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the effects of workplace racial discrimination among Asian American (AA) employees in the restaurant industry and examines what kinds of employee coping responses can mitigate its detrimental effects on their work behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses an exploratory sequential mixed-methods approach, starting with a qualitative study using the critical incident technique followed by a quantitative between-subjects experiment to examine the impact of employee coping responses to racial discrimination on employee competence and work quality of life (WQOL).

Findings

The study reveals that customer-perpetrated racial discrimination is the most common form of racial discrimination that AA employees face in the restaurant industry. In addition, confrontation is the most effective coping strategy to increase employee’s self-competence. Also, the severity of discrimination moderates the effect of coping strategies on employee’s self-competence. Employees’ self-competence mediates the relationship between their response strategy against discrimination and their WQOL.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study suggest that confrontation is an effective coping strategy for targeted employees, compared to support-seeking or avoidance. Confrontation was perceived as competent, compared to other coping strategies, and in turn, enhanced WQOL.

Originality/value

This study expands the scope of racial discrimination research in the hospitality literature for the growing diversified hospitality workforce. In addition, this study provides practical insights into competent ways of coping with racial discrimination.

Purpose

This qualitative study aims to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) driving the adoption of virtual reality (VR) in the hospitality industry, shedding light on key determinants for successful implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a diverse set of interviews conducted in Italy, Pakistan, the USA and Turkey, this study uses thematic analysis facilitated by NVivo 12 to comprehensively explore and identify the CSFs influencing VR adoption within the global hospitality industry.

Findings

This study identifies distinct CSFs at various phases of VR adoption in the hospitality industry. Preimplementation emphasizes budget planning and stakeholder engagement, implementation highlights safety training and feedback mechanisms and postimplementation underscores the importance of innovation, feedback utilization and maintenance for sustained success. These findings offer a strategic roadmap for VR integration in hospitality.

Practical implications

The study informs hospitality industry stakeholders of crucial success factors for VR adoption, thereby guiding strategic decision-making. Sustained VR integration success is ensured by emphasizing budget planning, stakeholder engagement, safety training, feedback mechanisms and postimplementation innovation.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this groundbreaking research is the first in-depth investigation into CSFs for the adoption of VR in the hospitality industry. This research advances our understanding of and provides fresh guidance for effective VR integration by revealing novel insights into the key variables at various deployment phases.

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the effectiveness of 360-degree virtual reality (VR) videos compared to traditional preview modes in shaping customer perceptions and behavioral intentions toward the hospitality service provider. Specifically, the study investigates how self-construal moderates this relationship, offering novel and nuanced understanding of the customer decision-making process in the hospitality sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were carried out. Study 1 examined the impact of preview modes on customers’ behavioral intentions. Study 2 examined the psychological mechanism of mental imagery and being hooked in the relationship between preview modes and behavioral intentions. Study 3 examined the moderating role of self-construal in the relationship between preview modes and behavioral intentions.

Findings

The study findings revealed that 360-degree VR videos are more effective than traditional preview modes in determining customers’ behavioral intentions. Mental imagery and being hooked explain this relationship. Furthermore, customers with highly independent self-construal evaluate 360-degree VR videos more favorably, while those with highly interdependent self-construal evaluate traditional preview modes more positively.

Practical implications

The research indicates that adopting VR applications can offer competitive advantage for hospitality service providers. The study findings provide hospitality providers with insights to tailor their marketing strategies by selecting preview modes that align with the psychological profiles of the customers.

Originality/value

The originality of the study lies in its pioneering efforts to explore how self-construal shapes customer responses to different preview modes. Furthermore, this study reveals the importance of psychological constructs in understanding the impact of VR applications on customer behaviors.

Purpose

The Metaverse is rapidly reshaping the understanding of tourism, yet the public perception of this new domain remains largely uncharted empirically. This paper aims to build on the technology acceptance model (TAM) and diffusion of innovations theory (DIT) to fill this gap, offering crucial insights that could inform scholars and practitioners in both the tourism and technology sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a big-data approach, the authors applied machine learning to scrape comments made by social media users on recent popular posts or videos related to tourism in the Metaverse from three prominent social media platforms. The cleaning process narrowed down 15,461 comments to 2,650, which were then analysed using thematic, emotion and sentiment analysis techniques.

Findings

The thematic analysis revealed that virtual tourism evokes a complex range of public beliefs. While many express awe and excitement toward its immersive capabilities, others remain sceptical about authenticity compared to physical travel. Additional themes show people draw comparisons to real-world tourism, discuss technology’s role and note educational value and novelty. However, some comments raise concerns about potential societal harms, exploitation and mental health impacts. Sentiment analysis found over half of the comments positive, though some were negative. Emotion analysis showed contentment, happiness and excitement as most frequent, though sadness, worry and loneliness also featured. Overall, perceptions of Metaverse tourism encompass enthusiasm yet substantial ambivalence.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to comprehensively analyse public discussions on Metaverse tourism. It takes TAM and Rogers’s DIT a step further and provides fresh insights into how these theories can be employed in the emerging field of Metaverse tourism. The themes revealed new conceptual insights into multidimensional factors shaping public beliefs about Metaverse tourism and thus informing scholarly research on virtual interaction and technology acceptance regarding Metaverse tourism. In addition, the results can help tourism providers, platforms and marketers address salient public beliefs and sentiments/attitudes in developing marketing offerings, experiences and communications. Over time, this analysis methodology can be used to track the evolving public perceptions of Metaverse tourism.

Purpose

Grounded on the X Reality framework and human–machine collaboration, this study aims to explore the potential of immersive augmentation through artificial intelligence (AI) service robots for promoting social inclusion in the hospitality industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experimental studies across diverse hospitality contexts examine the effects of immersive augmentation using inclusive-AI service robots compared to standard-AI robots. The studies also uncover the underlying process of perceived ethicality and the moderating role of customers’ familiarity with AI.

Findings

The results indicate that immersive augmentation through inclusive-AI service robots generates higher levels of supportive tipping behavior (Studies 1 and 3), superior buying intentions (Study 2) and an increased likelihood for customers to pay a premium price (Study 2). These effects are mediated by perceived ethicality (Studies 1–3). However, the impact of immersive augmentation for social inclusion is contingent upon customers’ familiarity with AI: customers with high familiarity with AI exhibit lower levels of supportive tipping behavior (Study 3).

Research limitations/implications

The findings emphasize the importance of perceived ethicality and customers’ familiarity with AI in determining the effectiveness of immersive augmentation for social inclusion in hospitality.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by exploring the potential of immersive augmentation using AI service robots for social inclusion in hospitality. It offers novel insights by highlighting the importance of perceived ethicality and customers’ familiarity with AI. The findings provide valuable guidance for hospitality managers seeking to leverage AI technology to foster social inclusion.

Purpose

Through the theoretical lenses of media richness, perceived realism and customer engagement, this study aims to investigate the mechanisms that promote customer engagement in metaverse-mediated environments in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) context, as well as the impact of customer engagement on customers’ metaverse usage intensity and future visit intention.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of customers who have experience with metaverse-mediated MICE activities was conducted. Data from 267 respondents were analysed using partial least squares-structural equation modelling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to test our research framework.

Findings

Media richness dimensions, including multiple cues, immediate feedback and personal focus, were found to enhance perceived metaverse realism, which in turn affects the dimensions of customer engagement, leading to customers’ metaverse usage intensity and future visit intention. The fsQCA analysis identifies three configurations that lead to high event visit intention.

Practical implications

This research helps developers and marketers better understand how rich media contents create realistic experiences in the metaverse, aiding them to devise strategies for customer engagement and improve resource allocation.

Originality/value

Despite its potentially revolutionary impacts, empirical studies on the mechanisms driving customer engagement in the metaverse and its effects are scarce. This study contributes by revealing the multiple-phase mechanism of the customer engagement journey in the metaverse-mediated MICE context. By expanding the media richness theory into this area, our study provides new insights by illustrating how media richness dimensions create multisensory experiences and real-time interactions, enhancing perceived metaverse realism and customer engagement. It also addresses the debate on whether metaverse-mediated events substitute or complement real-life events.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effects of presence on users’ information processing in mediated visualizations using immersive virtual reality (VR) and websites, focusing on information understanding and cognitive load. The impact of user interfaces on users’ perception of presence is also tested.

Design/methodology/approach

A between-subjects laboratory experiment using two user interfaces – immersive VR and website – is carried out. It is complemented by a self-administered survey on the participants.

Findings

The current results indicate that an immersive VR interface improves tourists’ information processing by producing a heightened sense of presence. The results confirm that presence facilitates tourists’ information processing by increasing information understanding and decreasing cognitive load. Finally, a negative relationship between cognitive load and information understanding is obtained.

Practical implications

VR user interfaces are not only visually appealing but also cognitively optimized. Immersive VR devices can be introduced in the specific sale process of cruise trips through both offline channels (physical stores and travel agencies) and online channels to facilitate tourists’ information processing during the prepurchase phase.

Originality/value

The primary contribution lies in the integration of the theory of presence with two influential information processing frameworks, namely, cognitive load theory and cognitive fit theory. This integration provides a holistic perspective on how user interfaces influence consumer information processing in the unique context of cruise tourism, particularly during the stage of a prepurchase information search.

Purpose

As exponential technologies continue to transform business models rapidly, there is a growing focus on metaverse research within the tourism industry. Despite the significant findings, the practical discussion of high-cost and resource-demanding space tourism within the metaverse platform is still abstract. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of virtual space tourism and consumer motivations inspired by the intrinsic principles of the sharing economy business model and the metaverse platforms.

Design/methodology/approach

By gathering primary data through questionnaires from individuals interested in virtual space tourism and using the 530 valid responses, this study uses the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) along with the status quo bias theory (SQB) to better comprehend travelers’ motivations for engaging with the metaverse in space tourism.

Findings

The study confirms UTAUT2’s effectiveness in predicting travelers’ adoption behavior. Specifically, factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, hedonic motivation, price value and facilitating conditions significantly impact attitudes and behavioral intentions toward adopting the metaverse for space tourism. Furthermore, skepticism significantly moderates the relationship between attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to empirically explore the motivations for using metaverse capabilities in the context of space tourism. In line with recent calls for more research on advancing UN sustainable development goals through the metaverse platform, this research discusses findings based on eight shared attributes in both sharing economies and the metaverse platforms that offer the potential for sustainable, socialized and affordable access to space tourism. In addition to the managerial implications, this study outlines future research directions, drawing on insights from the sharing economy’s success in the tourism industry.