Inspiration and pro-environmental behaviour in virtual nature-based tourism

The natural environment is facing deterioration, yet little is known about how immersive nature-based VR tourism experiences cultivate pro-environmental behaviours. Grounded in the transmission model of inspiration, this research seeks to assess whether and how virtual nature-based tourism experiences can inspire tourists to engage in pro-environmental behaviours over time. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, Study 1 developed a VR nature-based tourism environment and examined its epistemic activation central to the inspiration process through both self-report and biosensor measures. Study 2 surveyed 253 participants, finding that the virtual nature-based tourism experience sparked inspiration (the inspired-by process), which subsequently led to increased pro-environmental behavioural intentions (the inspired-to process). Furthermore, the moderation analysis indicated that the impact of virtual nature exposure is more pronounced for tourists with a strong internal locus of control or with minimal prior experience with VR technology. Beyond behavioural intentions, actual pro-environmental behaviours were assessed at baseline (T1) and one month later (T2), showing a higher frequency of such behaviours at T2 compared to T1. This research advances theoretical understanding of inspiration within virtual tourism experiences and articulates the potential of immersive technology to foster pro-environmental behaviours, providing nuanced insights for tourism professionals seeking innovative approaches to promote conservation.