Virtual tourism atmospheres: The effects of pleasure, arousal, and dominance on the acceptance of virtual tourism

Few studies have explored the factors influencing continuous usage intention toward virtual tours, such as dominance, pleasure, and arousal. To address this research gap, this study constructed an integrated framework and structural model based on the pleasure–arousal–dominance model to explore how certain factors (atmospheric and affective) affect consumers' continuous usage intention and word-of-mouth communication related to virtual tourism. This study examined the effects of ubiquity, telepresence, vividness, interactivity, and background music–environment congruency on users' feelings of pleasure, dominance, and arousal. The effects of these factors on word of mouth and continuous usage intention were also examined. A questionnaire was administered, and 509 valid questionnaire responses were used in the analysis; 63.5% of the respondents were women, and the respondents' mean age was 36.16 years. The overall fit of our structural model was acceptable, and the Cronbach's alpha values indicated adequate reliability. All the research hypotheses were supported, revealing that each factor affects the virtual tourism experience. This study also revealed that telepresence and vividness are related to pleasure derived from virtual tourism; this result is consistent with those of other studies. Telepresence and vividness also affect word-of-mouth communication and continuous usage intention. Thus, designers of virtual tours should pay particular attention to telepresence and vividness to ensure a positive virtual tourism experience. Researchers should examine other factors that affect usage intention and consumers' behavior.