Proceedings of The International Conference on Tourism Management and Hospitality
Year: 2021
DOI:
Exploring Travelers’ Adoption Intention in Virtual Tourism Using Value-Based Adoption Model
Lim Kelvin, Siti nor Bayaah
ABSTRACT:
Purpose: Virtual Tourism (VT) has been described as a new innovation that allows prospective visitors to experience tourism attractions without physically travelling to these tourist locations. However, VT is still considered a new thing for fellow Malaysian travellers. Thus, this research aims to explore the travelers’ adoption intention in Virtual Tourism by using Value-based Adoption Model (VAM). Malaysian travelers age between 21 to 39 were selected as the unit of analysis for this research.
Design/methodology/approach: A total 358 responses collected through online self-administered questionnaire were used for analysis using Partial Least Squares-SEM with the SmartPLS software. Respondents were given a video to view to understand their acceptable of virtual tourism before proceed to the remaining questions.
Findings: The empirical results revealed that perceived benefits have stronger impact to perceived value, as compared to perceived sacrifices. Perceived usefulness (β = 0.341, t = 6.552) and perceived enjoyment (β = 0.341, t = 6.552), the components of perceived benefits were found to have significant positive effect towards perceived value. Perceived complexity (β = -0.142, t = 2.758) was the only component of perceived sacrifices that has significant negative effect towards perceived value. Perceived immersion (β = 0.059, t = 0.913), perceived cost (β = -0.020, t = 0.318), and perceived physical risk (β = -0.021, t = 0.350), on the other hand, were found to have no significant effect to perceived value
Research limitations/implications: present study focused to specific group age of customers, hence in future similar study can be extended to other demographics with different focus of travelling interest.
Practical implications: The findings of this study can be helpful for tourism suppliers and marketers, which provides them with a direction that they should focus and priorities on increasing the perceived benefits and at the same time decrease the perceived sacrifices, for then slowly but surely, it will lead to the adoption of VT. Future research may repeat this research on consumers that have experience on VT.
Originality/value: with the Covid-19 pandemic, consumer preference may change hence, VT could be useful for people with travel disability but still passionate with travelling activities
keywords: Adoption intention, Virtual Tourism, Value-Based Adoption Model, Covid-19, Online travelers .