Digital technologies increasingly intertwine gaming and tourism, with video games featuring real-world destinations becoming an important driver of travel intention. However, the psychological mechanisms through which gaming experiences translate into real-world travel intention remain underexplored. Drawing on the meaning transfer model, the purpose of this research is to examine how gaming experiences influence travel intention through virtual attachment and destination image perception. Data were collected using a panel-based purposive sampling approach via Credamo, resulting in 410 valid responses from Chinese gamers who had played video games featuring real-world destinations. Using partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the results reveal that immersion, telepresence, and enjoyment significantly enhance virtual attachment. Notably, virtual identity fully mediates the relationship between virtual dependence and travel intention, while destination image perception plays a central role in translating virtual experiences into real-world travel intention. This research contributes to tourism marketing literature by offering new insights into how symbolic meanings embedded in video games influence destination branding and tourist behaviors. The findings offer practical implications for marketers and game developers seeking to transform virtual engagement into physical tourist flows.
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