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Yang, C.; , .; Wang, J.; Xue, Y. Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23263 (accessed on 17 July 2025).
Yang C,  , Wang J, Xue Y. Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23263. Accessed July 17, 2025.
Yang, Chenyujing, , Jingyu Wang, Yongji Xue. "Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23263 (accessed July 17, 2025).
Yang, C., , ., Wang, J., & Xue, Y. (2022, May 24). Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/23263
Yang, Chenyujing, et al. "Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism." Encyclopedia. Web. 24 May, 2022.
Flow Experiences and Virtual Tourism
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This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/su14095361

Virtual technology has brought new development opportunities to the tourism market and is expected to help the tourism industry cope with the challenges issuing from the COVID-19 pandemic. Flow experiences can make tourists more optimistic about virtual tourism technology, reduce tourists’ technical discomfort, and enhance tourists’ perceptions of usefulness and ease of use. 

virtual tourism flow experience technical readiness

1. Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on global economic and social development, particularly in the tourism industry. In the early stages of the pandemic, the suppression of coronavirus transmission was mainly based on non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs)[1] . During the pandemic, traditional infectious disease prevention methods were adopted, such as case detection, isolation, and personal protection (wearing masks), and new methods were also adopted, such as social distancing and travel restrictions[2] . Travel restrictions included border closures, access restrictions, and traffic control, and their role in infection prevention has been confirmed. Studies have shown that Australia’s travel restrictions reduced COVID-19 cases and deaths by about 87% [3]. If China does not adopt a travel ban and a containment strategy, the number of COVID-19 cases is estimated to increase 67-fold [4]. However, travel restrictions also have certain limitations, some of which have a significant impact on the tourism economy. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) released a report stating that 2020 was ‘the worst year in the history of tourism’. Affected by the pandemic, the number of international tourists decreased by one billion people that year, a decline of about 74%. According to the data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, the number of domestic tourists in 2020 decreased by 52.1% and domestic tourism income decreased by 61.1%.
From another point of view, the impact of this major health incident on traditional tourism indirectly promoted the development of virtual technologies, such as cloud tourism and virtual scenic spots. Virtual technology has brought new development opportunities for the tourism market and is expected to help the tourism industry to cope with the challenges posed by COVID-19. Virtual tourism technology brings consumers a real sense of experience and immersion and is widely used in the panoramic experience of attractions [5]. It is a new choice for consumers who cannot travel in person. Furthermore, virtual tourism technology provides sensory information related to the destination for potential tourists and helps consumers to carry out practical tourism actions through the ‘advance’ experience of virtual tourism [6]. Due to the travel restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic, virtual tourism has received more attention from consumers.
It is well known that there is a vague boundary between sustainable and unsustainable tourism [7]. However, it is undeniable that the development of traditional tourism does have a certain regional impact which may render tourist destinations vulnerable and have a negative impact on their cultural, social, economic, or environmental systems [8]. Sustainable tourism may provide a key perspective to reduce the impact of traditional tourism on tourist destination vulnerability. Specifically, the purpose of sustainable tourism is to ensure the well-being of future generations while meeting the current needs of tourists and tourism [9] [10]. Virtual tourism technology is an effective way to promote the sustainable development of the tourism industry in the context of the pandemic. On the one hand, in terms of environmental friendliness, the use of virtual tourism technology reduces the environmental pollution load of tourist destinations, reduces the pressure on their ecosystems caused by human activities, and may help the tourism industry to reduce carbon emissions. On the other hand, technological development often drives the development of tourism [11]. Technology provides consumers with more choices and makes it possible for tourists to change their consumption patterns, especially through the comparison of consumer costs. For example, information and communication technologies often imply new opportunities to help consumers quickly identify the ‘best’ accommodations, the ‘best’ restaurants, and the ‘most popular’ attractions [12]. Similarly, virtual tourism technology gives consumers the sensory experience of tourist destinations. Consumers can use this technology to make tourism decisions on the basis of such pre-experience, reducing the cost of tourism choices. In short, virtual technology may help sustainable tourism development by promoting innovative tourism development and reducing consumer travel costs.

2. Flow Experience

"Flow" generally refers to the psychological state of focusing on activities that occurs naturally and is caused by individual internal pleasure. Studies have shown that the flow experience affects participants’ information acceptance, leading to changes in attitude and behavior [13], and that it can also affect consumers’ repurchase intentions with respect to perceived value [14]. In the field of tourism and leisure, numerous studies have explored the effect of ‘flow’ on consumer behavior [15] [16] . Studies have shown that ‘flow’ may be an important factor affecting consumer behavior and experience assessments in leisure environments (online or offline) [17], which may awaken emotions in experience and actively contribute to creating positive experiences [18] . Studies on nature-based tourism on Jeju Island, South Korea, showed that the flow experience is significantly positively correlated with satisfaction, environmental responsibility behavior, and destination loyalty [19]. In short, the flow experience is considered to be an important factor in awakening consumer behavior.

In recent years, scholars have also been concerned about the role of flow experience in virtual technology adoption and virtual platform use. As a marketing tool, virtual reality may increase the positive emotions of participants [20]. Virtual activities may enhance participants’ sense of participation and ‘flow experience’ [21]. Research based on the SOR framework found that the quality of an online travel agency website has a significant influence on the flow experience, thereby affecting customer satisfaction and purchase intentions [22]. Based on this, the researchers suggest that sensory stimulation brought by virtual tourism may awaken participants’ emotions, give them a certain flow experience, and then affect their intention to use virtual tourism platforms.

3. Conclusion

The researchers draw the following conclusions: (1)Flow experiences positively affect consumers’ intentions to use virtual tourism technology and their consumption intentions; (2) Consumer flow experiences can affect the acceptance of virtual tourism technology through the readiness for virtual tourism technology, thereby affecting intentions to use virtual tourism technology; (3)In the process of generating the intention to use virtual tourism technology based on flow experience, technology readiness and technology acceptance play an inherent mediating effect, and there are significant differences; (4) The intention to use virtual tourism technology will positively promote real tourism intentions.

References

  1. Benjamin J Cowling; Sheikh Taslim Ali; Tiffany W Y Ng; Tim K Tsang; Julian C M Li; Min Whui Fong; Qiuyan Liao; Mike Yw Kwan; So Lun Lee; Susan S Chiu; et al.Joseph T WuPeng WuGabriel M Leung Impact assessment of non-pharmaceutical interventions against coronavirus disease 2019 and influenza in Hong Kong: an observational study. The Lancet Public Health 2020, 5, e279-e288, 10.1016/s2468-2667(20)30090-6.
  2. Cheng, L.; Yang, Z.; Yi, W.; Changhong, Y.; Lijun, Z.; Tao, Z.; Research and prospect of non-pharmaceutical interventions in COVID-19. Mod. Prev. Med 2021, 48, 385–388.
  3. Valentina Costantino; David J Heslop; C Raina MacIntyre; The effectiveness of full and partial travel bans against COVID-19 spread in Australia for travellers from China during and after the epidemic peak in China. Journal of Travel Medicine 2020, 27, taaa081, 10.1093/jtm/taaa081.
  4. Francesco Pinotti; Laura Di Domenico; Ernesto Ortega; Marco Mancastroppa; Giulia Pullano; Eugenio Valdano; Pierre-Yves Boëlle; Chiara Poletto; Vittoria Colizza; Tracing and analysis of 288 early SARS-CoV-2 infections outside China: A modeling study. PLoS Medicine 2020, 17, e1003193, 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003193.
  5. Daniel A. Guttentag; Virtual reality: Applications and implications for tourism. Tourism Management 2010, 31, 637-651, 10.1016/j.tourman.2009.07.003.
  6. Markus Gratzer; Hannes Werthner; Werner Winiwarter; Electronic business in tourism. International Journal of Electronic Business 2004, 2, 450-459, 10.1504/ijeb.2004.005878.
  7. Alexandra Coghlan; Lewis Carter; New Product Design: Creating a Digital VR Game to Promote the Conservation of Nature-based Tourism Attractions. The Emerald Handbook of ICT in Tourism and Hospitality 2020, -, 167-179, 10.1108/978-1-83982-688-720201011.
  8. Javier Castro-Spila; Rosa Torres; Carolina Lorenzo; Alba Santa; Social innovation and sustainable tourism lab: an explorative model. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 2018, 8, 274-290, 10.1108/heswbl-03-2018-0032.
  9. Dobrica Zivadin Jovicic; Key issues in the implementation of sustainable tourism. Current Issues in Tourism 2013, 17, 297-302, 10.1080/13683500.2013.797386.
  10. Andrea Boyle; Erica Wilson; Kay Dimmock; Transformative Education and Sustainable Tourism: The Influence of a Lecturer’s Worldview. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism 2015, 15, 252-263, 10.1080/15313220.2015.1059303.
  11. Surabhi Gore; Nilesh Borde; Purva Hegde Desai; Assessment of technology strategies for sustainable tourism planning. Foresight 2020, 23, 172-187, 10.1108/fs-02-2020-0006.
  12. Stefan Gössling; Technology, ICT and tourism: from big data to the big picture. Journal of Sustainable Tourism 2020, 29, 849-858, 10.1080/09669582.2020.1865387.
  13. Yongxia X. Skadberg; Andrew N. Skadberg; James R. Kimmel; FLOW EXPERIENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TOURISM WEBSITE. Information Technology & Tourism 2005, 7, 147-156, 10.3727/109830505774297238.
  14. Cristobal Rodolfo Guerra-Tamez; Mario César Dávila-Aguirre; José Nicolás Barragán Codina; Pablo Guerra Rodríguez; Analysis of the Elements of the Theory of Flow and Perceived Value and Their Influence in Craft Beer Consumer Loyalty. Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing 2020, 33, 487-517, 10.1080/08974438.2020.1823929.
  15. Anil Bilgihan; Gen Y customer loyalty in online shopping: An integrated model of trust, user experience and branding. Computers in Human Behavior 2016, 61, 103-113, 10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.014.
  16. Isabelle Frochot; Statia Elliot; Dominique Kreziak; Digging deep into the experience – flow and immersion patterns in a mountain holiday. International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research 2017, 11, 81-91, 10.1108/ijcthr-09-2015-0115.
  17. Asli D.A. Tasci; Ady Milman; Exploring experiential consumption dimensions in the theme park context. Current Issues in Tourism 2017, 22, 853-876, 10.1080/13683500.2017.1321623.
  18. Chai M. Tyng; Hafeez Ullah Amin; Mohamad N. M. Saad; Aamir S. Malik; The Influences of Emotion on Learning and Memory. Frontiers in Psychology 2017, 8, 1454, 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01454.
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  20. Julia Beck; Roman Egger; Emotionalise Me: Self-reporting and Arousal Measurements in Virtual Tourism Environments. Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2018 2017, -, 3-15, 10.1007/978-3-319-72923-7_1.
  21. Daehwan Kim; Yong Jae Ko; The impact of virtual reality (VR) technology on sport spectators' flow experience and satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior 2019, 93, 346-356, 10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.040.
  22. Chin-Lung Hsu; Hsi-Peng Lu; Consumer behavior in online game communities: A motivational factor perspective. Computers in Human Behavior 2007, 23, 1642-1659, 10.1016/j.chb.2005.09.001.
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Subjects: Behavioral Sciences
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Yongji Xue
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Update Date: 24 May 2022
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