This research examines how Metaverse experience, historical storytelling, and tourist happiness within the Hoi An Metaverse influence virtual tourists’ intentions to escape to the Metaverse and visit Hoi An's cultural heritage sites. Using Stimulus–Organism–Response theory and the Theory of Reasoned Action and Interactionism, the study analyzes these factors’ effects on tourist behavior. A purposive sample of 407 international and Vietnamese virtual tourists was surveyed through travel agencies. The hypotheses tested include the impact of Metaverse experiences, historical storytelling, nostalgic emotion, and tourist happiness on virtual tourists’ intentions to visit Hoi An's cultural heritage sites, with interactivity as a moderator and intentions to escape to the Metaverse as a mediator. Findings reveal that these factors positively affect tourists’ intentions, with interactivity moderating the relationships between the Metaverse experience, nostalgia, and happiness. This study offers insights for improving virtual tourism experiences and promoting cultural heritage tourism, especially for intangible assets.
AjzenI (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes50(2): 179–211.
2.
AjzenIFishbeinM (1980) Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
3.
AllamehSMKhazaei PoolJJaberiA, et al. (2015) Factors influencing sport tourists’ revisit intentions. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics27(2): 191–207.
4.
AnSChoiYLeeC-K (2021) Virtual travel experience and destination marketing: effects of sense and information quality on flow and visit intention. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management19: 100492.
5.
AndersonJCGerbingDW (1988) Structural equation modeling in practice: a review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin103(3): 411–423.
6.
AryaVShaliniSBouchraO, et al. (2025) Visitors’ attraction and co-creation at world expo—a qualitative study unveiling visitors’ delight and engagement with immersive technology. Tourism Recreation Research50(5): 1158–1180.
7.
BaberRBaberP (2022) Influence of social media marketing efforts, e-reputation and destination image on intention to visit among tourists: application of S-O-R model. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights6(5): 2298–2316.
8.
BagozziRPYiY (1988) On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science16(1): 74–94.
9.
BallM (2022) The Metaverse: and How It will Revolutionize Everything. New York: Liveright Publishing.
10.
BalogluSPekcanYA (2006) The website design and internet site marketing practices of upscale and luxury hotels in Turkey. Tourism Management27(1): 171–176.
11.
BatchoKI (2013) Nostalgia: the bittersweet history of a psychological concept. History of Psychology16(3): 165–176.
12.
BecAMoyleBSchafferV, et al. (2021) Virtual reality and mixed reality for second chance tourism. Tourism Management83: 104256.
13.
BentlerPMWuEJC (1993) EQS/Windows User's Guide. Los Angeles: BMDP Statistical Software Inc.
14.
BuhalisDLeungDLinM (2023) Metaverse as a disruptive technology revolutionising tourism management and marketing. Tourism Management97: 104724.
15.
BuhalisDSinartaY (2019) Real-time co-creation and nowness service: lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing36(5): 563–582.
16.
BurdeaGCCoiffetP (2024) Virtual Reality Technology. Hoboken, New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
17.
CamposACGuerreiroMMBeevorMC (2025) Storytelling in heritage tourism: an exploration of co-creative experiences from a tourist perspective. Museum Management and Curatorship40(2): 225–250.
18.
ChenC-CPetrickJF (2013) Health and wellness benefits of travel experiences: a literature review. Journal of Travel Research52(6): 709–719.
19.
ChenFJiangGXiaoJJ (2023) Mobile payment use and payment satisfaction: mediation and moderation analyses. International Journal of Bank Marketing41(4): 727–748.
20.
ChenH-BYehS-SHuanT-C (2014) Nostalgic emotion, experiential value, brand image, and consumption intentions of customers of nostalgic-themed restaurants. Journal of Business Research67(3): 354–360.
21.
CloningerCR (2004) Feeling Good: The Science of Well-Being. New York: Oxford University Press.
22.
CsikszentmihalyiM (1990) Flow. The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harpers Perennial.
23.
DaiY-DYehS-SSuLPT, et al. (2024) Nostalgic tourists acquiring resilience and emotional solidarity through self-congruity and functional congruity. Journal of Vacation Marketing31(4): 923–941.
24.
DaiY-DYehS-SWangY-J, et al. (2025) Cooperativeness or competitiveness? Exploring the moderating role of organizational culture in international tourist hotels. International Journal of Tourism Research27(3): e2804.
25.
DengBWongIALianQL (2024) From Metaverse experience to physical travel: the role of the digital twin in Metaverse design. Tourism Review79(5): 1076–1087.
26.
DwivediYKHughesLBaabdullahAM, et al. (2022) Metaverse beyond the hype: multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management66: 102542.
27.
EndlerNSMagnussonD (1976) Toward an interactional psychology of personality. Psychological Bulletin83(5): 956–974.
28.
EscalasJESternBB (2003) Sympathy and empathy: emotional responses to advertising dramas. Journal of Consumer Research29(4): 566–578.
29.
FilepSDeeryM (2010) Towards a picture of tourists’ happiness. Tourism Analysis15(4): 399–410.
30.
FornellCLarckerDF (1981) Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research18(1): 39–50.
31.
GaoQRauP-LPSalvendyG (2010) Measuring perceived interactivity of mobile advertisements. Behaviour & Information Technology29(1): 35–44.
32.
GoFGoversR (2012) International Place Branding Yearbook 2012: Managing Smart Growth and Sustainability. New York: Springer.
33.
GreenDTPearsonJM (2011) Integrating website usability with the electronic commerce acceptance model. Behaviour & Information Technology30(2): 181–199.
34.
GursoyDMalodiaSDhirA (2022) The Metaverse in the hospitality and tourism industry: an overview of current trends and future research directions. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management31(5): 527–534.
35.
GuttentagDA (2010) Virtual reality: applications and implications for tourism. Tourism Management31(5): 637–651.
36.
HairJFBlackWCBabinBJ, et al. (2009) Multivariate Data Analysis. 7th ed.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
37.
HannamKRyanE (2019) Time, authenticity and photographic storytelling in the Museum of Innocence. Journal of Heritage Tourism14(5–6): 436–447.
38.
HeinzeNHuQ (2006) The evolution of corporate web presence: a longitudinal study of large American companies. International Journal of Information Management26(4): 313–325.
39.
HenningBVordererP (2001) Psychological escapism: predicting the amount of television viewing by need for cognition. Journal of Communication51(1): 100–120.
40.
HolbrookMB (1993) Nostalgia and consumption preferences: some emerging patterns of consumer tastes. Journal of Consumer Research20(2): 245–256.
41.
HolbrookMBHirschmanEC (1982) The experiential aspects of consumption: consumer fantasies, feelings, and fun. Journal of Consumer Research9(2): 132–140.
42.
HuangY-C (2023) Integrated concepts of the UTAUT and TPB in virtual reality behavioral intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services70: 103127.
43.
HurstCEGrimwoodBSRLemelinRH, et al. (2021) Conceptualizing cultural sensitivity in tourism: a systematic literature review. Tourism Recreation Research46(4): 500–515.
44.
HutaV (2016) Eudaimonic and hedonic orientations: theoretical considerations and research findings. In: VittersøJ (ed.) Handbook of Eudaimonic Well-Being. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 215–231.
45.
HutaVRyanRM (2010) Pursuing pleasure or virtue: the differential and overlapping well-being benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic motives. Journal of Happiness Studies11(6): 735–762.
46.
JacobyJ (2002) Stimulus–organism–response reconsidered: an evolutionary step in modeling (consumer) behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology12(1): 51–57.
47.
JinYTiejunZ (2023) The application of Metaverse XiRang game in the mixed teaching of art and design in colleges and universities. Education and Information Technologies28(12): 15625–15655.
48.
JungTTom DieckMCLeeH, et al. (2020) Moderating role of long-term orientation on augmented reality adoption. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction36(3): 239–250.
49.
JungTHtom DieckMC (2017) Augmented reality, virtual reality and 3D printing for the co-creation of value for the visitor experience at cultural heritage places. Journal of Place Management and Development10(2): 140–151.
50.
KandaurovaMLeeSH (2019) The effects of virtual reality (VR) on charitable giving: the role of empathy, guilt, responsibility, and social exclusion. Journal of Business Research100: 571–580.
51.
KimDKoYJ (2019) The impact of virtual reality (VR) technology on sport spectators’ flow experience and satisfaction. Computers in Human Behavior93: 346–356.
52.
KimS (2014) Developing autonomous learning for oral proficiency using digital storytelling. Language Learning & Technology18(2): 20–35.
53.
KnoblochURobertsonKAitkenR (2016) Experience, emotion, and eudaimonia: a consideration of tourist experiences and well-being. Journal of Travel Research56(5): 651–662.
LeongAMWYehS-SHsiaoY-C, et al. (2015) Nostalgia as travel motivation and its impact on tourists’ loyalty. Journal of Business Research68(1): 81–86.
56.
LeongAMWYehS-SZhouY, et al. (2024) Exploring the influence of historical storytelling on cultural heritage tourists’ value co-creation using tour guide interaction and authentic place as mediators. Tourism Management Perspectives50: 101198.
57.
LiFShangYSuQ (2023) The influence of immersion on tourists’ satisfaction via perceived attractiveness and happiness. Tourism Review78(1): 122–141.
58.
LinL-PHuangS-CHoY-C (2020) Could virtual reality effectively market slow travel in a heritage destination?Tourism Management78: 104027.
59.
ManiaKChalmersA (2001) The effects of levels of immersion on memory and presence in virtual environments: a reality centered approach. CyberPsychology & Behavior4(2): 247–264.
60.
McMillanSJHwangJ-SLeeG (2003) Effects of structural and perceptual factors on attitudes toward the website. Journal of Advertising Research43(4): 400–409.
61.
MehrabianARussellJA (1974) A verbal measure of information rate for studies in environmental psychology. Environment and Behavior6(2): 233.
62.
MotaharPSTavakoliRMuraP (2024) Social media influencers’ visual framing of Iran on YouTube. Tourism Recreation Research49(2): 270–282.
63.
NeuhoferB (2024) Positive tourism experiences for human transformation: a Horizon 2050 paper. Tourism Review80(1): 39–52.
64.
NguyenHKTTranPTKTranVT (2023) The relationships among social media communication, brand equity and satisfaction in a tourism destination: the case of Danang city, Vietnam. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights7(2): 1187–1210.
65.
PalDArpnikanondtC (2024) The sweet escape to Metaverse: exploring escapism, anxiety, and virtual place attachment. Computers in Human Behavior150: 107998.
66.
PalombiniA (2017) Storytelling and telling history. Towards a grammar of narratives for cultural heritage dissemination in the digital era. Journal of Cultural Heritage24: 134–139.
67.
PanhaleTDerekBTsougkouE (2023) Augmented reality and experience co-creation in heritage settings. Journal of Marketing Management39(5–6): 470–497.
68.
PawaskarPGoelM (2014) A conceptual model: multisensory marketing and destination branding. Procedia Economics and Finance11: 255–267.
69.
PrayagGGannonMJMuskatB, et al. (2020) A serious leisure perspective of culinary tourism co-creation: the influence of prior knowledge, physical environment and service quality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management32(7): 2453–2472.
70.
PrayagGHosanySOdehK (2013) The role of tourists’ emotional experiences and satisfaction in understanding behavioral intentions. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management2(2): 118–127.
71.
QiQYangYZhangJ (2013) Attitudes and experiences of tourists on calligraphic landscapes: a case study of Guilin, China. Landscape and Urban Planning113: 128–138.
72.
RajSSampatBBehlA, et al. (2023) Understanding senior citizens’ intentions to use virtual reality for religious tourism in India: a behavioural reasoning theory perspective. Tourism Recreation Research48(6): 983–999.
73.
RauschnabelPABabinBJtom DieckMC, et al. (2022) What is augmented reality marketing? Its definition, complexity, and future. Journal of Business Research142: 1140–1150.
74.
RihovaIBuhalisDGouthroMB, et al. (2018) Customer-to-customer co-creation practices in tourism: lessons from customer-dominant logic. Tourism Management67: 362–375.
75.
RogersCR (1951) Perceptual reorganization in client-centered therapy. In: BlakeRRRamseyGV (eds) Perception: An Approach to Personality. New York, NY, USA: Ronald Press Company, 307–327.
76.
RyanRMDeciEL (2001) On happiness and human potentials: a review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Annual Review of Psychology52(2001): 141–166.
77.
RyanRMDeciEL (2017) Self-Determination Theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation, Development, and Wellness. New York, NY, USA: The Guilford Press.
78.
SannRLuechaPRueangchaithanakunR (2023) The effects of virtual reality travel on satisfaction and visiting intention utilizing an extended stimulus–organism–response theory: perspectives from Thai tourists. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights7(5): 2684–2703.
79.
SchmidtSCantallopsASdos SantosCP (2008) The characteristics of hotel websites and their implications for website effectiveness. International Journal of Hospitality Management27(4): 504–516.
80.
SedikidesCWildschutT (2016) Past forward: nostalgia as a motivational force. Trends in Cognitive Sciences20(5): 319–321.
81.
ShenSSchüttemeyerABraunB (2009) Visitors’ intention to visit world cultural heritage sites: an empirical study of Suzhou, China. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing26(7): 722–734.
82.
ShinHKangJ (2024) How does the Metaverse travel experience influence virtual and actual travel behaviors? Focusing on the role of telepresence and avatar identification. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management58: 174–183.
83.
SinghRSharmaYKumarJ (2021) A road less traveled in nostalgia marketing: impact of spiritual well-being on effects of nostalgic advertisements. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice29(3): 289–307.
84.
TussyadiahIPWangDJungTH, et al. (2018) Virtual reality, presence, and attitude change: empirical evidence from tourism. Tourism Management66: 140–154.
VerhulstIWoodsAWhittakerL, et al. (2021) Do VR and AR versions of an immersive cultural experience engender different user experiences?Computers in Human Behavior125: 106951.
87.
VoorveldHAMNeijensPCSmitEG (2009) Consumers’ responses to brand websites: an interdisciplinary review. Internet Research19(5): 535–565.
88.
WagnerED (1994) In support of a functional definition of interaction. American Journal of Distance Education8(2): 6–29.
WildschutTSedikidesCArndtJ, et al. (2006) Nostalgia: content, triggers, functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology91(5): 975–993.
91.
WohnDYWashR (2013) A virtual “room” with a cue: detecting personality through spatial customization in a city simulation game. Computers in Human Behavior29(1): 155–159.
92.
WoodworthRS (1929) Psychology. New York: Henry Holt.
93.
WuY-LLiEY (2018) Marketing mix, customer value, and customer loyalty in social commerce. Internet Research28(1): 74–104.
94.
XuJShiPHChenX (2024) Exploring digital innovation in smart tourism destinations: insights from 31 premier tourist cities in digital China. Tourism Review80(3): 681–709.
95.
YimMY-CChuS-CSauerPL (2017) Is augmented reality technology an effective tool for e-commerce? An interactivity and vividness perspective. Journal of Interactive Marketing39(1): 89–103.
96.
YungRKhoo-LattimoreCPotterLE (2021) VR the world: experimenting with emotion and presence for tourism marketing. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management46: 160–171.
97.
ZhangQYeQ (2023) R2v platform's business model reconstruction in the Metaverse era: based on network effects and bundling. Information Processing & Management60(6): 103503.
98.
ZhaoWChengYLeeY-I (2023) Exploring 360-degree virtual reality videos for CSR communication: an integrated model of perceived control, telepresence, and consumer behavioral intentions. Computers in Human Behavior144: 107736.
99.
ZhuJJiangYJiangY, et al. (2023) The effectiveness of social elements in virtual reality tourism: a mental imagery perspective. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management56: 135–146.
