ROLE OF VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) AND AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) IN RESHAPING TOURISM MARKETING AND DESTINATION EXPERIENCE

The fast development of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) has drastically changed marketing and destination experiences in tourism. The current review paper explores the effects of immersive technologies in transforming tourist experiences throughout the pre-trip stage, on-site stage, and post-trip stage. Based on recent empirical and conceptual research, the paper identifies the use of VR in providing relevant previews of destinations, improving the intention to travel, and sustaining a destination image, whereas AR enriches real-world orientation, narrative, and interpretation. The review also discusses the implementation of Artificial Intelligence to personalize and make smart recommendations. Results show that VR and AR enhance booking intentions, emotional engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty, and facilitate sustainable and accessible tourism. Nevertheless, some obstacles to this, including the high cost of implementation, lack of access to technology, ethical issues, and the digital divide are still there. On the whole, immersive technologies are considered as competitive-differentiation strategies and tools of experiential value creation in contemporary tourism marketing.