The role of virtual reality in shaping mosque tourism: cognitive and emotional responses across generations

Md Sawari, Siti Salwa and Hussin, Siti Rahayu and Yee, Wong Foong and Mazli, Muhammad Haniff Najmi (2025) The role of virtual reality in shaping mosque tourism: cognitive and emotional responses across generations. In: 9th International Congress Of Eurasian Social Sciences, 29-31 May 2025, Online.

PDF - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (369kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Despite the growing use of VR in tourism, there is limited understanding of how VR experiences in religious contexts, specifically mosque tourism, influence visitors' perceptions and intentions. This study examines the impact of Virtual Reality (VR) mosque tourism on visitors' cognitive and emotional reactions, with a focus on how different generational groups (X, Y, Z) in Malaysia interact with VR experiences. The primary objective is to evaluate how VR experiences shape visitors' perceptions of authenticity, emotional engagement, and their behavioral intentions to physically visit mosque sites. A quantitative approach, including descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and ANOVA, was used to analyze data from 300 participants who had engaged with VR mosque tourism. The results reveal that VR-based authentic experiences significantly affect visitors' cognitive and emotional responses, with emotional responses having the most pronounced effect on the intention to visit mosques. Furthermore, notable generational differences in perceptions of authenticity were found, with Generation Y providing the highest ratings. The study highlights the importance of considering generational differences when designing VR tourism experiences and emphasizes the potential of VR to influence future tourism behaviors. These findings contribute to the expanding research on immersive technologies in tourism, particularly within religious and cultural settings.

Item Type:	Proceeding Paper (Other)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Virtual reality (VR), Muslim friendly tourism, mosque tourism, generational differences
Subjects:	BPG Islamic geography > BPG87 Islamic tourism. Halal issues
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Sustainable Tourism and Contemporary Languages
Depositing User:	Dr Siti Salwa Md Sawari
Date Deposited:	03 Jun 2025 11:58
Last Modified:	03 Jun 2025 11:58
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/121322

Actions (login required)

View Item