71. Attributes of Virtual and Augmented Reality Tourism Mobile Applications Predicting Tourist Behavioral Engagement

Omran, W., Casais, B., & Ramos, R. F. (2025). Attributes of Virtual and Augmented Reality Tourism Mobile Applications Predicting Tourist Behavioral Engagement. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2470293This article investigates how attributes of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) tourism mobile applications influence Tourist Behavioral Engagement (TBE), mediated by app satisfaction. Using a multimethod quantitative design, the study analyzed 6,998 online reviews from Google Play through text mining and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The conceptual model integrated the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT) to explain tourists’ motivations and acceptance. Results confirmed all hypotheses, identifying four key app attributes that enhance satisfaction: utilitarian gratification (adventure and exploration), perceived usefulness (learning and educational value), ease of use (simplicity and usability), and immersive features (context awareness and telepresence). Satisfaction—both emotional and cognitive—was found to be a crucial mediator between app attributes and TBE, explaining 45% of its variance. The study contributes theoretically by extending TAM and UGT and practically by guiding developers to enhance usability, immersion, and functionality to strengthen tourist engagement.