As you may already be aware, Virtual Reality (VR) is a form of technology that can be used for destination promotion. It has a number of benefits, including capturing every nook and cranny of your chosen location and presenting it in a way that enhances your brand. In addition, it can help you to take advantage of pre-existing attitudes towards VR, as well as to promote behavioral intentions.
Enhance destination image
The use of virtual reality (VR) for destination promotion has the potential to enhance the destination image. Virtual Reality is a relatively new form of advertisement, which heightens the sense of presence and generates pleasant emotions toward the destination. It is therefore important to understand the effects of VR on the tourist decision-making process.
Virtual Reality may help to enhance a destination’s image by enhancing the information search process and by providing quality information. This could potentially improve customer satisfaction, and it could also help to create realistic expectations about future holidays. In addition, it can be used to develop and market market campaigns for different markets.
Research on the effects of VR on tourism marketing has been limited. One study from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, for example, explored the impacts that VR has on the consumer decision-making process and on people.
Promote behavioral intentions
This study compares the impact of viewing virtual reality (VR) and other media formats on consumers’ behavioral intentions. The findings suggest that VR may have a positive influence on travelers’ intentions to visit a specific destination.
In order to understand how VR content can affect consumers’ travel behavior, two experiments were conducted. First, respondents were divided into treatment and control groups and exposed to both traditional and VR promotional material. Afterwards, participants completed a questionnaire. They ranked statements on a 5-level Likert scale.
For each item, a corresponding statistical test was used to determine the relative differences between the different conditions. A single-group ANOVA was used, and the results were only slightly significant. Welch tests were used instead of the Games-Howell post-hoc tests.
Take advantage of pre-existing attitudes towards VR
Virtual reality (VR) may be a useful advertising medium for destination marketers. It can provide a highly immersive experience for tourists. However, there is limited research about the impact of VR on travel intentions.
To investigate the influence of VR on tourist intention, researchers performed two experiments. They recruited undergraduate students to answer questions about their feelings about various destinations, and then presented them with destination marketing material in different media formats. Participants were asked to rate each piece on a 5-level Likert Scale.
The study found that participants in the VR condition rated promotional materials as more effective and felt they had a better understanding of the destination. Moreover, they were more likely to share information with others. This was a stronger effect than previous research.
Create immersive content
Immersive content can be a gold mine for marketers and tourism institutions alike. These immersive experiences can take a variety of forms. From a simulated Black Friday sale to a virtual celebrity visiting a hotel room, these technological marvels can provide a deep layer for visitors.
Creating an immersive experience can be done in the form of video, augmented reality, and virtual reality. A plethora of technologies can be tapped into for a branded experience worthy of a Las Vegas t-shirt. This technology can be harnessed to create a look-a-like for your product, a guided tour through your facilities, or a treasure hunt of sorts.
The best way to implement an immersive content experience is to make it the focal point of your destination marketing campaign. A good way to do this is to leverage a VR content management system for the content.