Age-inclusive hospitality and tourism: navigating the metaverse travel with avatar

What is it about?

Our study explores how virtual tours, guided by avatars, can enhance travel experiences for older adults. We conducted two experiments comparing emotion-focused and knowledge-focused tours. Findings show that emotion-focused tours significantly increase older adults' engagement and travel intentions by boosting confidence and reducing stress. Adding positive messages enhances these effects. This research highlights the importance of creating emotionally engaging and accessible virtual tours tailored to the needs of older travelers, promoting inclusive tourism. Practical applications include developing user-friendly, avatar-based virtual tours and enhancing digital literacy among older adults to ensure they benefit from virtual tourism.

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